SonicX Season Four: The Test
by Onewithmyshoesize
Summary: Religion has told humans that the life of a mortal is a test put forth by our deity. But what if the test were made by someone else to prepare us for a major event that could end all existence? That is a reality Sonic must face. Sonamy, Tailream, Knuxouge
1. Chapter 1: Watching

Chapter 1: Watching

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic. Or Tails. Or Knuckles. Or anything or anyone else for that matter. If I did, this would be aired on television already, Tails and Cream would have professed their love for each other, and something else that I can't think of would have happened.**

Everything seemed to be off balance for some reason. Sonic couldn't really explain. He thought that once he and his friends defeated Dark Oak and the Metarex, life would return to normal. But the opposite happened. Life seemed more distorted and erratic than ever. Sonic did not like how things turned out in his adventure; two people dead in body and three others dead in spirit. He tried to think back to a happier time. But all he could think of was when he first fought Dark Oak. Dark Oak was too strong for Sonic. Without thinking, Sonic scattered the Chaos emeralds across the galaxy. Then, Sonic plummeted to Mobius as an organic meteor.

_Wait a minute_, thought Sonic. As the memory played in his mind, he heard something. When Sonic crashed on Mobius, he fell unconscious. But before he did, he heard a low and gravelly voice say:

"Respiration 60%. Pulse at 75 BPM. Consciousness at 2%. Looking good Sonic."

_What the heck? _Thought Sonic. He shook his head and thought, _No; I'm just letting all this doom and gloom go to my head. I'm just bored because Egg-head hasn't come up with any plans to stop and toys to wreck. I'm going to see if I can cheer Tails up._ Sonic sped off into the horizon. It felt good to run again. He hadn't run since the last fight against the Metarex. That was five weeks ago. As Sonic ran, he sped past someone in a black and silver hood and robe. The person flipped five times in the air and landed on his head. His robe slipped down and revealed a pair of tighty-no-longer-whities.

Tails became a broken person ever since the last fight against the Metarex. Cosmo's death had affected Amy and Cream. But it most profoundly affected Tails. He didn't want to go anywhere, didn't want to see anyone or do anything. He wanted to stay in bed and let hot, wailing tears stream from his eyes. Amy and Cream were visiting Tails in an effort to help him get over Cosmo. But he didn't like it. Unless whoever at the door was Cosmo, he wanted to be alone.

Tails heard the door open. "Tails," called a soft, high-pitched voice. "It's us, Ms. Amy and Cream." Tails said in a side voice, "Oh. Hey Cream and Amy." A small rabbit in an orange dress adorned with a blue ribbon and a pink hedgehog wearing a red, sleeveless dress stepped into his room. "How are you, Tails?" Asked Amy. "Terrible," Tails gruffly responded.

"Tails?" Asked Cream, "I made you something."

Tails peered at the hand basket Cream held in her hands. It held a collection of sweets and cards, each saying _Get Well Soon._

"Any flowers?" Tails asked.

"No," Cream answered. She made the mistake of bringing flowers to Tails once, and she regretted it. Flowers reminded Tails of the plant girl he lost, and that set his recovery back by a few hundred years or so.

"Okay," Tails said.

Tails, Amy and Cream left the room and sat at a dining table in the kitchen of Tails' workshop.

"I'll make breakfast," Cream said cheerfully. Because of her mother, Cream became a master of several homemaking skills. That included cooking. She was good at it too, and sometimes she saw Tails smile when he ate her food. So Cream always made breakfast. While Cream set forth to cook, Amy tried to start a conversation with Tails.

"So how did you sleep last night?"

"Actually, I haven't been sleeping well."

"Have the nightmares been returning?" Early in Tails' grieving, Tails would have horrible nightmares that he wouldn't discuss with anyone. In the five weeks Sonic and his friends returned, Tails had made significant progress towards recovery. Amy's question was bent on watching out for any sign of regression.

"Yes," answered Tails.

"Will you be okay for the night?" Asked Cream as she was holding a pan full of eggs. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

"N-no," Tails said. Amy looked at Cream and gave her an odd look.

"What are the dreams about?" Amy asked.

Tails clenched his fist under the table, not because he was angry, but because it pained him to remember. "You remember how we defeated Dark Oak?"

"Yeah, you shot Mr. Sonic and Mr. Shadow out of a cannon at Cosmo," Cream said, but then she stopped in her tracks.

"Cream!" Amy scolded.

"Don't worry, I'm a little more comfortable about that fact," Tails lied to stop Amy from getting angry at Cream.

Tails continued, "Well, the dream shows what happened there, and how depressed I've become. But I hear something I didn't hear before."

Amy and Cream listened intently as Tails explained the new part of his nightmare. "When the dream ends, I hear someone say 'Heck of a thing I'm putting you through, but it is necessary to help you face what is coming.'"

Amy asked, "Does it sound like Cosmo is saying that?"

"No," responded Tails, "the voice sounds old and gravelly."

"What does an old man have to do with this?" Cream asked as she brought the breakfast food to the table.

"Probably nothing," Amy said to Cream. "Excuse us Tails, Cream and I have to have a little chat."

"Okay," said Tails.

Amy picked Cream up in her arms and placed Cream in between Amy's forearm and armpit. Amy walked into another room and sat Cream down. Cream started coughing and gagging from Amy's body odor.

"Ugh," Cream said between gasps and coughs, "Ms. Amy, could you please-"

"Enough," Amy said, "that's not important. What is important is why we keep coming here." Cream was shocked.

"I get the feeling Tails doesn't want us here. Maybe we shouldn't come back here."

"YOUR FACE! I mean, NO!" Yelled Cream. "I LIKE coming here to see, err, help Tails! He needs us and I won't abandon him!"

"We're not abandoning Tails. He just needs time to work things out on his own." Amy eyed Cream. In Cream's drown eyes, Amy beheld more than simple unwillingness to give up on a friend. Amy saw something more. "Cream? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, why I…yes." Said Cream.

"What is it, then?"

"Well…Ms. Amy, could you keep this secret?"

"Sure, but I don't see why-"

"I'minlovewithTails," Cream quickly said, "there. I said it."

"What?"

"I am in love with Tails," Cream said more slowly.

"You are?" Asked a surprised Amy. "I mean, I know you liked Tails, but the only person I've ever known to love Tails is dead."

"I know," Cream sighed, "and that's why I've kept it secret from everyone else until now."

"Until now? How long have you been-"  
"Ever since we arrived at Chris's mansion."

"That was months ago," Amy said.

"I know."

"Why did you keep it secret?"

"Well, I was going to tell Tails, but I got scared, so I didn't tell him. By the time I decided to tell him, Cosmo came, and she and Tails formed mommy-daddy like bond. I was in the process of giving Tails up when the Metarex attacked and Cosmo died. When Cosmo died, I almost had no feelings for Tails, not because I hated him for offing Cosmo, but because I was giving him up. When we came back to Mobius five weeks ago, my feelings for him came back, but this time the love was stronger." Cream then looked at Amy with a hard face. "YOU may leave Tails, but I won't abandon him. Not then, not now, not ever. Even if the world doesn't want him, I want him. Because I love him."

Amy's eyes widened as the secret feeling Cream had hidden from everyone pour out of Cream's mouth as soup pours out of a ladle. Cream apparently loved Tails so much she was willing to let go of him when he and Cosmo fell in love. It was why Cream was helping Tails through his depression. And it was why Cream just stood up to her.

Amy gave Cream a quick whack with her Piko Piko hammer. "OW!" said Cream. "Sorry, Cream but that was preventative medicine. I didn't want you to go crazy on me and I'm angry that you didn't tell me. Me! We're like sisters, Cream. You can trust me with anything. Even secrets." Amy looked at Cream. "It's obvious you have strong feelings for Tails."

"What does that mean?" Asked Cream as she rubbed her head and ears.

"Cream, I want you to tell Tails how you feel about him."

"What?!" Exclaimed Cream as she blushed immensely.

"I know it seems odd, but telling him how you feel may help him get out of his depression."

"But, what if he doesn't like me? What if he doesn't want to be friends anymore because I love him? What if he rejects me?"

"If he rejects you, I'll give him a nice bump on the head. Just knowing that someone cares for him just as deeply as Cosmo did may give him hope."

Cream rubbed her head and said "I hope you're right, Ms. Amy."

"Don't worry, Cream," said Amy, "I am. And don't worry, I'll wait here while you take the heat."

Cream took a deep breath before going back into the kitchen. When she walked in, Cream went over to Tails. Tails was gazing out the window.

"Tails. We need to talk."

Tails turned his head to Cream. "About what?"

"Tails, listen," Cream started, "I know that because Cosmo is gone, you think you're alone in the world. But you're not. There is someone else who loves you. I-"

"Lost my meds?" A voice asked.

Cream and Tails both jumped back. "That voice-?" Tails' face lightened a little. "Its-"

"Hiya Tails," Sonic said as he leaned against the wall with one foot. "Heard you're not doing too well."

"I'm better now that you came." Tails went to great Sonic. Amy dashed out of the room adjacent to the kitchen and yelled "SONIKKU!" And Amy gave Sonic the biggest glomp of his life. Cream sighed and put on a smile for Sonic.

Meanwhile, a figure surveyed the scene. It was the same man with the silver and black robe. As he watched the glompfest, he muttered to himself, "They're still not ready for what is coming. They're on the right track, but they're changing too slowly. I need a catalyst to speed up the process. I know just what to use." The man turned in a 90º angle and walked in a direction where he could find a certain Echidna and eight emeralds, immense in size and power.

"Let the test begin," muttered the robed figure.


	2. Chapter 2: Mental Blocks and Gems

Chapter 2: Mental Blocks and Gems

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic. **

In the mountains, there laid an odd structure. In the midst of those stony effigies of Atlas, where rock tumbled and crumbled and fell off the sheer mountain cliff, a metallic dome stood resolute. Apertures gazed out of the dome in starry-blue irises. Brown sheets of metal plates bent and curved in many shapes, forming the appearance of an unruly moustache. When the entire structure was viewed in both eyes, it formed the visage of a cruel and ambitious man. It was only fitting that the denizen of such an eyesore matched the twisted face with his own cold personality.

The exterior was not the only aspect of this icy home that offered an accurate connotation. The interior was darker than any abyss, save for a few lights on the wall that almost touched the ground. The hallways and corridors encroached closer and closer as one walked down the pathways. These small pathways led to huge rooms were every sound was intensified with a creepier tone and a sharper partial. In other words, it was nothing short of a cave.

"Mwahahahahahaha!" A voice cackled in the darkness. "I've came up with a grand plan to start the glorious Eggman Empire!" The voice could only belong to the only person who could find such inhospitable home to be ideal: Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Suddenly, the lights switched on and light drowned out the darkness.

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH!" Cried Dr. Eggman. He hissed as eerie organ music played. He spun around in his chair and stormed over to the lever that controlled the light. He saw none other than his three lackies: Decoe, Bocoe and Bokkun. "Let there be light!" Cheered Decoe like a robotic preacher. Suddenly, lightning struck Decoe. "What did I do to make God angry?" he asked.

"Decoe! Bocoe! Bokkun! Turn off the lights!" Commanded Eggman. "You are all ruining the dark and spooky atmosphere!"

"We thought it was too dark…" Bokkun began to explain.

"Never mind," interrupted Dr. Eggman, "I have made the most brilliant plan ever!"

"Oh boy," muttered Decoe and Bocoe

"Yay!" Cheered Bokkun.

"Now, I was thinking," began Dr. Eggman, "that we march on Angel Island and steal the Chaos emeralds and the Master emerald!" Eggman guffawed with malevolent energy. Decoe, Bocoe and Bokkun stared at Eggman, questioning his sanity for the umpteenth time in their employment. "What?" Asked Dr. Eggman.

"ALL of your plans are like that," explained Bocoe.

"But this is different," pleaded Dr. Eggman, "Because this time I won't tell Sonic."

Decoe, Bocoe and Bokkun's faces lightened up. "There's hope this time!" Cried Bokkun as he hugged Decoe and Bocoe. They both escaped Bokkun's death hold.

"And with the emeralds," Dr. Eggman continued, "I'll be able to make Decoe and Bocoe's dreams come true!"

Decoe and Bocoe gasped with awe. Dr. Eggman was talking about the dream where Decoe and Bocoe could combine and transform into a fierce and high-tech battle robot that could stand toe-to-toe with foes like Dark Oak and his cronies. It was almost more than Decoe and Bocoe could bear. They both fainted.

"But what about my dreams?" Bokkun asked.

"Well, what is your dream?" Asked Dr. Eggman

"My dream is to serve you to the best of my abilities, my liege," claimed Bokkun.

"Well, I know one way you can serve me."

"What is that?"

"Go stand in that corner over there and don't say anything."

"Is it that corner with a sign that reads 'Emo' and has an arrow that points to the corner?"

"Yes."

"Yay!"

Decoe and Bocoe regained consciousness just in time to overhear Dr. Eggman and Bokkun's conversation. "Y'know," started Decoe, "I thought Bokkun's dream was to have a large pool full of motor oil and make all the lifeguards look like Cream."

"Hey!" Said Bokkun, "How do you know about that?"

"We read your dream journal." Stated Bocoe.

"You weirdoes! You both had no right to go through my stuff!" Bokkun turned to Dr. Eggman. "Boss, please tell those meanies that spying is wrong and-"

"Enough!" Yelled the evil scientist.

"Bokkun, you know, Decoe and I liked the part where a Cream lifeguard jumped into the pool and rescued you Baywatch-style. It even had the theme song playing in our heads." Bocoe teased Bokkun.

Bokkun finally lost it. "That's it!" He yelled. Milliseconds later, a bomb materialized in Bokkun's hand. His face resembled a merchant named Morshu. "Bombs. You want them? They are yours, my friends, as long as you both DIE!"

A chase ensued between Decoe, Bocoe and Bokkun, as Bokkun tossed bombs at Decoe and Bocoe, while Decoe and Bocoe laughed. Dr. Eggman grabbed all three of them in mid-chase. "Stop fighting!" He commanded. "Now, will you all help me, or not?" Decoe, Bocoe and Bokkun agreed.

Later, the Egg Carrier Mark III landed on Angel Island. Dr. Eggman and his cohorts stepped out of the contraption. "Now," said Dr. Eggman, "let's see if we can find our little knucklehead."

"Uh, boss?" Asked Bokkun.

"Yes, little Baywatch dude?"

"I'm going to ignore that. Knuckles is over there." Bokkun pointed at pyramid that held 7 gems in a geometric alignment. In the center of the shape was a large, green gem and a red echidna. But Knuckles wasn't alone.

"Aw, c'mon knucklehead," a sultry, promiscuous bat beseeched Knuckles.

"Nothing doing, Rouge," sternly chastised Knuckles, "I know what you want. You want me to go out with you so you can seduce me for the Master emerald." Rouge slapped him, leaving a red, five-pronged star on his cheek.

"Sheesh, ask a guy out, and he thinks you're up to something," Rouge said. "Look, when I asked 'Will you go out with, me?' it means I want to meet with you." "Whatever," said Knuckles as he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt your cute little rapport," Eggman said as he removed the Master emerald, "but I need to get some things." Knuckles and Rouge turned around. Decoe, Bocoe and Bokkun face palmed themselves. "Aw man," said Decoe, "he blew his own cover!"

"You!" Knuckles yelled, "You're not going anywhere with the Master emerald!"

"I'm afraid I am," Eggman responded calmly and confidently.

"No you're not," responded a gravelly voice out of nowhere. The entire group swiveled their heads and spotted a robed and hooded figure. "You see," explained the hooded man, "you are pilfering the holiest artifacts in the planes." The hooded man looked at Dr. Eggman, "repent for your blasphemy and desecration of such holy things, and I will not punish you."

Eggman and Knuckles both sneered. "These are just extremely powerful gems," explained Dr. Eggman, "nothing holy or sacred about them."

Suddenly, a large lightning bolt comprised of five somewhat smaller bolts, each colored black with a red nuance emitted from the hooded man and struck Dr. Eggman. Dr. Eggman fell back, electrocuted and stunned. "BOSS!" Cried out Bokkun. He soared across the surface of the pyramid. When he finally reached Dr. Eggman, Bokkun yelled, "Time for some first-aid!" Bokkun proceeded to give Dr. Eggman CPR. "OW! Bokkun! I don't -OW!-need-OW!-CPR," Dr. Eggman said as Bokkun started the chest compressions and was about to give the rescue breaths, as Bokkun puckered up his lips to do so and made kissing motions. "Don't worry, boss," assured Bokkun, "I'll pretend you're Cream, and we'll hope for the best."

"Enough with this slapstick," the hooded man said. The emeralds floated around him and he chanted as if in prayer:

"O, servants of Chaos, the holy matriarch! She who birthed the universe from her womb, from her bosom we drink of life, see how these stray children treat you not as mentors, but as mere possessions?"

Everyone present looked at him as if he were some insane person who escaped from some vague asylum.

"Bring these stray children back in line, and make them see the light! Blow these heathens to Kingdom Come!"

Suddenly, huge blasts of energy struck at the ground from the sky. No one had ever seen Chaos powers of this magnitude. Not even from Shadow and Sonic.

Bokkun ran from the scene. "I gotta find Sonic! He'll know what to do!"


	3. Chapter 3: The Iliad and the Odd

Chapter 3: The Iliad and the Odd

**Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Sonic. I own nothing.**

Sonic, Amy, Cream and Tails gathered around a small table in the living room. The room has obviously seen better days. Random bits and pieces of garbage lay strewn about as if they were decorations dedicated to solemnity. It was not as bad as it was five weeks ago; when the garbage piled up to the knees of a basketball player and the filth echoed the mournful dirge of a young boy weeping for a dead lover. Nevertheless, the room still stunk of rotten tomatoes. "Mmm, rotten tomatoes," said Sonic.

"Tails," Sonic started, "this place is a hole!" Cream had picked up the last few vestiges of the pig-sty and febreezed the entire room. "It's not just a hole, Mr. Sonic," Cream told Sonic, "it's a butthole. Please be a little kinder to Tails."

"It's okay, Cream," Tails said. Cream shifted to her left side. "But wouldn't you rather have a nice, clean house? It would be a little more pleasant."

"It's too much trouble to keep this place clean," Tails said.

Sonic finished picking his teeth with his nails. "So anything interesting happening?" He wiped his glove on Amy. "Ew! Sonic! You can't wipe your glove on your GIRLFRIEND!" Amy shouted in disgust. "For your information," Sonic started, "we are not significant others."

"Yes we are." Amy said.

"No we aren't." Sonic replied.

"Oh, really?"

"Yah really?"

"OH, REALLY?"

"Yeah…really."

"O, REALLY??"

Sonic and Amy went on bickering like this back and forth until Amy lost her temper. When she lost her temper, someone's world was going to end. The fire in her eye burned brightly than any blaze and it scorched twice as hard. Fire practically engulfed Amy's body, but it only hurt the unfortunate soul that was the object of her wrath. In this case, the unfortunate soul was Sonic.

"Grrrrrrrrr! SONIC! HOW DARE YOU PLAY WITH MY HEART LIKE THIS?" Cream and Tails slipped into Tails' room and locked the door behind them, the tumblers clicking into place, along with a collection of several other locks followed by a voice stating "System armed." The infamous Piko Piko hammer materialized in her hand. She bellowed out her most fierce war cry that could scare a warrior: "BAAAAAAAKKAAAAAA!"

"Oh, sh-!" Sonic almost screamed. He ran out of Tails' workshop. "COME BACK HERE AND TAKE YOUR BEATINGS! BAKA!" Cream, who was listening at the door of Tails' room, went up to Tails. "Tails?" Asked Cream. "Yeah?" "What does that word mean?"

"What word?"

"The word Mr. Sonic said."

"Oh, _that_ word," Tails told Cream, "it is a bad word."

Cream gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "A _bad _word?!"

"Yes," Tails said.

Suddenly, Tails and Cream heard a loud, thundering boom that reverberated in the woodwork of Tails' workshop.

"Did… did Amy get…?" Asked Tails.

"No, I don't think…" Cream started. She looked at Tails and started to see the sadness in his sunken eyes well up. "Its okay, Tails," comforted Cream. She walked over to him to give him a huge hug. Maybe she might give Tails a kiss, too. In fact, she might just make it a French kiss. Cream grew warm as she neared Tails. She felt as though she was in a dream. She would end up in Tails' arms and they would dance together and she would know that they'd be together. Always. But she was stopped by another loud noise. WHAM! The entire structure shuddered and swayed. Then, it stopped. "Now Ms. Amy got Mr. Sonic."

Amy walked in with Sonic, who held his head in both arms and appeared to be in great pain. Cream walked up to Sonic. In one swift motion, Cream bent Sonic over her knee and paddled his backside.

"Shame on you!" Castigated Cream. "How DARE you say such a horrible word! Why, if mama caught me saying something that bad, she'd…"

"She'd what?" A mature voice asked.

Cream, Amy, Tails and Sonic looked at the door way. There stood a crocodile. His muscles in his arm stood rippling and taut. His mouth stood in a confident smile, that despite all the poverty and setbacks he suffered, his smiles would never fade. Such were the qualities of Vector the crocodile.

"Mr. Vector!' Cream said as she gave him a big hug. "Hey, Cream," Vector responded coolly as he hugged her back. "Hey, Vector," greeted Sonic. "Yo, Sonic," Vector said, "it's been awhile." Amy went to greet Vector. Tails simply stood in place and stared at Vector with a blank look expression. Tails remembered what Vector did early in the Metarex adventure. He tried to play matchmaker and match Tails and Cosmo together. Tails felt like he could cry.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Vector?"

"Well," said Vector, "your mother wanted to know where you were and a little friend wanted to see you again." He motioned to a small chao who wore a red bow tie. "CHEESE!" Cheered Cream. Cream and Cheese both hugged while Cheese nuzzled Cream. "Chao!" Cried Cheese.

Vector looked at Cream. "So, what have you been doing?"

"I've been here and helped Tails recover."

"I see. And how are you, Tails?"

"Um, well, I'm okay." Tails looked uncomfortable. Cream noticed this. She walked over to Tails. "It's alright, Tails," Cream said, "I'm here, don't cry." Vector noticed something odd in Cream's eyes when she looked at Tails. It looked like the same gleam her mother, Vanilla, had in her eyes whenever she say Vector; one of love.

Suddenly, the group heard something hit the window of the room. They all looked at the window and saw Bokkun smashed into the window pane. They all screamed. "IT'S A BUG!" Screamed Cream. "KILL IT!" Vector went over to the window, preparing to smash Bokkun. Bokkun broke the window and pleaded "No! Wait! It's me, Bokkun!" "Even worse!" Said Cream. Cream had discovered Bokkun's feelings for her and she did not feel the same way. He scared Cream and she knew whenever Bokkun appeared, trouble was not far away from the door.

Bokkun pleaded with sincerity, "Please! You all gotta help us!" Sonic chuckled. "Don't worry," assured Sonic as a sly smile spread across Sonic's face, "you can expect us to destroy Eggman's robotic spoon, or whatever Egg-face has planned."

"No!" Cried Bokkun, "Listen! The Boss and your dumb red echidna are all in danger!" Bokkun explained in detail what has occurred: Eggman trying to steal the emeralds (which was no surprise to Sonic), and the odd figure that attacked.

Sonic chuckled yet again. "You expect us to believe that?" He said. Bokkun nodded his head. Sonic turned to his friends. "Looks like we are going to party today," said Sonic. "Yay, party! What's the occasion?" Asked Cream. "Whoopee." Tails cheered unenthusiastically. They all raced to Angel Island.

When the group arrived where the Master emerald was, they were disturbed by what took place. Storm clouds gathered overhead, waiting patiently to burst. The ground bore huge scars and the earth burned. All around the pyramid laid Knuckles, Rouge, Decoe, Bocoe and Dr. Eggman, all unconscious. And in the center of all things stood the figure, the triumphant warrior of the painting. He sat at the apex of the pyramid, meditating as the emeralds hovered around him.

"Whoa," said Sonic, "that guy owned Knuckles hard."

The figure turned around. A sinister smile spread across the figure's face. "I have waited ever so patiently for you, Sonic." Raved the figure. "I waited and waited for you and your friends." The figure approached the group with all persons backing away. "Tails," Cream said, "I'm scared." "I'm scared, too," Tails said as Cream hugged Tails for protection. "Look, whoever you are," Amy threatened as she brandished her hammer, "you aren't going to get away with hurting my Sonic!" She charged at the figure. In a blink of an eye, Amy flew backwards and was knocked to the ground. "Baka?" Amy asked weakly as she lay on the ground disoriented. Bokkun cried, "oh no! Now we're gonna get hurt!" "Listen," threatened Vector, "if you want to fight, fight me!" The figure blew Vector away and into a tree with a harsh gesture from his hands. Vector lay unconscious. "Whoa," said Tails with astonishment. The figure radiated with energy and soon his body was suffesed with a red nuance. He discharged the energy in a single pulse. Sonic, Tails, Cream, and Bokkun saw nothing more.

The figure looked at them as they lay unconscious on the ground. "Weaklings," he spat. "These are the champions who must face what is coming? Chaos must reconsider." He walked over to the emeralds. "The emeralds are mine now. I can use them in whatever way I want, for whatever purpose I want." He raised his arms and yelled "CHAOS CONTROL!" A brilliant light surrounded Angel Island.

And everyone one Angel Island disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4: Old Friends that Know What Yo

Chapter 4: Old Friends that Know What You Did Last Summer

**Disclaimer: In America, I don't own Sonic. In Soviet Russia, Sonic doesn't own me.**

"Helen! We need to get to the house before the Phantoms find us!" A man shouted as he pushed the wheelchair that his wife was confined in. They got into a car with their maid and butler. They sped off into the night. The man was sweating as he drove, the fear made plain in his eyes. As they drove, they watched the roofs of all the buildings they passed by, watching intently for hoods of blue and neon green. They listened for any guttural sounds; for in the urban area, this was the hunting cry of those who stalked the alleyways and those who roamed at night. They made it to their mansion in record time. They all hurried out of the car. "Wait!" The butler cried silently. The butler motioned to the right and they found two hedgehogs, a rabbit, a fox, an echidna and a crocodile. "Are they…?" Asked the man. "They are, Chris!" Cried the woman in the wheelchair. "It's PIE!" Shouted the butler. "Sorry," said the butler, "I'm not wearing my glasses." The man turned to his wife, butler and maid and said, "Helen, Mr. Tanaka and Ella, we need to get them inside." They picked up the unconscious animals and brought them into the house. The man sealed the door behind them.

* * *

A dark hedgehog gritted his teeth as he faced the center of the large compound. Men garbed in blue hoodies whispered and jeered amongst themselves, waiting for their leader to speak. Their leader was a young woman, garbed in a robe that bore many colors. She wore a necklace that boasted three gems that glowed and hummed with intense power. Her hair was silver, her skin was grey. Nevertheless, she held an air of command, respect and loyalty as she sat in her throne. This made the following silence quite uneasy as she raised her hand.

"So," the woman began, "why do you bring this aberration here?" She stared at the ebony hedgehog. "What is your name? I like knowing whom I am about to kill."

The hedgehog spoke, "I am Shadow. And I challenge you to a fight."

All the men in the compound laughed. Who had the audacity to challenge the leader of the Phantoms, the strongest gang in the quarantine, who owned the region?

Shadow stood, not noticing the laughter of the blue-hooded men.

The woman played with her long hair as she pondered Shadow's challenge.

"Shadow is your name?"

Shadow stared at her.

"You favor silence then? Fine. I'll talk, you listen. I have heard your name; it was carried to me by a wind as slow and silent as a whisper. The humans claim you are the ultimate life form." She raised her fist. "Our battle shall be legendary!" The Phantoms cheered.

Shadow then said, "If I win, I want the Chaos emeralds."

"The what?"

"The Chaos emeralds! The ones you are wearing as a necklace!"

The woman held here necklace tightly, as if afraid the emeralds would fly away from her.

"And if I win…" Started the woman, "Aw, f- it. I'll kick your butt for free."

The men surrounded the circle before the throne as the woman stepped into it. She disrobed, revealing more common street clothing underneath. The men started chanting, possessed by the spirits of old tribal denizens, and nodded their head to an invisible intoxicating rhythm. The woman and Shadow charged at each other and Shadow socked her in the jaw. She fell over, but she got back up. The bout continued with this process and eventually, Shadow charged at the woman. The woman scratched Shadow with her talon-like figure nails and punched him in the nose. Shadow fell back, unconscious. The men in the blue hoodies cheered and yelled and jeered. With an unknown force, the woman flung Shadow across the city toward a mansion with her will alone.

A figure watched the entire spectacle. He turned away. _Why did you fail Shadow?_ The figure thought. _I thought you were the one most prepared for what is coming. I guess Maria and Molly taught you nothing._

* * *

Awakening was a pain for Sonic. His body shivered and convulsed in agony. The bright lights hurt his eyes and made them water. He tried to move his arm, but found he was cocooned in a thick roll of blankets and sheets. Sonic sighed. In a quick spin, Sonic shredded through the sheets, held up his arm, and scratched his back. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh," Sonic moaned in ecstasy. The convulsions stopped. But the pain was still present. He ached in many places. "Shame about the sheets, though," Sonic said as he looked at the torn fabric. "Never one to stay still, were you, faker?" Sonic spun around and caused a small tornado. At the doorway stood a dark, ebony hedgehog, which stood with a sneer that almost looked like a smile. His dark quills were colored red at the tips and the quills themselves bent in wild ways. His eyes were red and intense.

"Oh," said Sonic, "hey Faker."

"You're lucky I don't fight injured people," said the hedgehog, "and I have a name. It's Shadow."

"Haven't seen you when you teleported with the exploding planet egg. What did you do with that thing, anyway?"

"I dumped it in the space between planes." Sonic sat, looking confused. Shadow continued, "A place where it won't go boom and kill millions."

"Where are we anyway?" Asked Sonic.

"I'll give you three guesses." Shadow said. Downstairs, Sonic heard a voice calling, "Shadow! Get down here! This place is getting filthy!"

"That's…that's Ella's voice." Sonic said. "So…this is Chris's mansion?"

"Yep. Now come downstairs. You're done lounging in bed." Sonic couldn't help but notice an odd mark on Shadow's forehead. Five horizontal, red streaks ran from temple to temple. "Where'd you got those?" Sonic asked.

"It's nothing to burden your little brain with for now." Shadow spat back.

"Yikes, I only asked."

"And I only refused."

Sonic and Shadow walked down the flight of steps and found themselves in the living room. It seemed just as pretty as the day Sonic left. If Shadow was telling the truth, and this was Chris's mansion, it'd be safe to say Chris would like to keep everything the same. Sonic saw Tails, Cream, Cheese, Knuckles, Rouge and Amy eating breakfast on the furniture. Along with a few old friends, mainly a man who resembled his father.

"I hope Mr. Sonic is alright." Cream said.

"He is. At least, I hope so," said Chris.

"Of course I am," said Sonic, "I always make it out alive."

In surprise, all heads turned to the blue hedgehog. Chris stood up and walked over to Sonic. He gave Sonic a hug. The rest of the characters gave Sonic a hug.

Everyone except Shadow.

They all sat down on the sofa for breakfast. "So how'd you find us?" Sonic asked as he ate his potatoes. Helen explained everything about how they found Sonic and his friends. "Wait," asked Rouge, "how did Shadow get here?" Everyone turned to Shadow. He grunted. "When I teleported with the planet egg, I pitched it into the space between planes; a place where the planet egg could explode and harm no one. I went back to Mobius and I made a grave for Molly. I placed a flower on it."

"Why didn't you stay on Mobius?" Inquired Tails.

"I saw no reason to stay on Mobius. I wanted to think things out for myself. I was caught in between Mobius and Earth. And I chose to go to Earth." Shadow then looked at Tails. "I wanted to be alone."

"But," started Rouge, "why didn't you come back to Eggman's base?"

"I don't like the doctor. He's a psycho and a failure."

Sonic was thinking about what happened on the night he and his friends arrived. "Wait," said Sonic, "I know this is off-topic, but why is the region quarantined?"

"Sonic," said Chris, "what happened was that a deadly plague started sweeping the city. G.U.N tried to contain the virus by quarantining the entire region."

"So Topaz is involved in this?" Interrupted Rouge.

An uneasy look spread across Mr. Tanaka's face. "What's wrong, old man?" Said Sonic sardonically. Ella intervened; she knew about Sonic's bad blood with Mr. Tanaka. "Topaz disappeared when the quarantine started," said Ella.

"It's true," said Chris, "but anyway, when the quarantine was put into effect, we were locked in with the psychos. Now, an urban gang called the Phantoms rules this place. And another gang called the Conclave is gaining ground."

"This isn't important," interrupted Knuckles. "We need to find a way to get back to Mobius and find the guy who stole the Chaos emeralds and the Master emerald."

"SOMEONE STOLE THE EMERALDS?!" Shadow shouted. "I thought you were supposed to guard them, not let them be pilfered."

"Tough talk from the guy who tried to kill a kid!"

As Knuckles and Shadow stood up to fight, being held back by Amy and Rouge, Tails remembered what Knuckles shouted at Shadow. Shadow tried to slay Cosmo when he found out she was an unwilling Metarex collaborator. Tails tried to stop Shadow from doing so, and Tails was beaten to within an inch of his life for it. Tails did it because he loved Cosmo. What was even more saddening was that, although Tails saved Cosmo from Shadow's intents of stopping the Metarex's advantage, Tails couldn't save Cosmo from Dark Oak, in the end. Tails began to cry. Cream rushed over to Tails.

"And what's more," shouted Knuckles, "you made Tails cry!"

"YOU BOTH SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!" Shouted Cream. She grabbed Tails and they ran to an adjacent room and locked the door.

Everyone was stunned. "What just happened?" Shadow asked. Amy knew what happened. Knuckles' cheap shot at Shadow reminded Tails of Cosmo. "Nothing," Amy said harshly, "you dumb-dumbs both know Cream can't stand fights." Silence broke out between all of them. Tails' dirge decreased in volume until it disappeared. "I want my momma," Cream said in the awkward silence that heralded the birth of a mutant.

In the adjacent room, Tails had fallen asleep in Creams arms as she finished humming a nursery tune her mother sang to Cream when she felt sad. _He looks so cute when he sleeps,_ thought Cream. His fuzzy body and fluffy twin tails seemed so comforting. It was astonishing to Cream how Tails could've felt depressed. He always seemed so cheerful, as if nothing bad ever happened to him and never would happen to him. _That's why he needs me,_ thought Cream. She loved him, and it was that feeling that kept her at Tails' side through the best of times and the worst. The reason she stayed with him now. Cream nuzzled her face into Tails' furry chest and blew a little raspberry. Tails chuckled in his sleep and smiled. Cream giggled, and fell asleep.

"You sleep quite soundly for a murderess." A gravelly voice said.

Cream immediately woke up. "Who's there?" She called out. It was night outside. She searched around the room. The voice started again, "You'll need a conscience like that to help you when what is coming comes."

"Who are you?"

The voice took no notice. "I saw what you and Cheese did to Emerl. I almost wish there was another robot here for you both to destroy. The sadness and terror Emerl felt when he knew what you did to him. You were important to him. If he could speak, Emerl would have shouted, 'My love! You have killed me!' And you did it for the greater good." The voice disappeared after giving an evil cackle.

Cream sank to her knees, defeated and crying. She knew what she did to Emerl. She despaired. She was helping Tails; she was there for him. But who was there for her? Who would comfort her? Tails didn't seem to think of her in a romantic way. She wasn't Cosmo. And she didn't want Bokkun's affections. But she sat up and wiped the tears away. She was told from Vector and her mother about what happened to her father. He was killed for whatever paper he had in his wallet. And Vanilla had to be strong for Cream, strong for her late husband. Cream would do the same, and be strong for Cheese, Amy, Emerl and, for most of all, Tails. Cream knew that Cosmo's death left a scar on Tails' heart. But the scar was only a skin deep thing; it would not survive time. It would not survive Cream. She would wash the scar off and would replace Cosmo in Tails' heart. "And then Tails will love me," Cream said with determination as her happy-go-lucky smile returned to her face. The dream faded.

Meanwhile, Vector had woken up and walked downstairs. "Yikes, what's with all the yelling?" Vector asked as he saw all of them on the sofas. Helen wheel chaired up to Vector. "YOU!" She yelled.

"Uh oh."

"YOU OWE ME FIVE BUCKS!"

And an irate Helen chased Vector all around the living room.


	5. Chapter 5: Let There Be Light

Chapter 5: Let There Be Light

**Disclaimer: I couldn't own Sonic even if I tried.**

The next morning, everyone walked into the living room. Everyone was quiet, trying not to disturb the tension that hung in the air. They all sat down on the sofas, seating themselves carefully. They all stared at each other in an attempt to find out why Tails had called them downstairs. Tails came out of the room. He took a seat next to Sonic.

"All right," said Tails, "we need to plan our next course of action."

"Why plan?" asked Sonic, "we know what we need to do: find that wacko and take back the emeralds."

"I know," said Tails, "but we don't know where he is."

"He could be in the city," suggested Knuckles, "there has to be a reason that he teleported us here."

"Other than getting rid of us?" Asked Rouge. Knuckles gave her a stare.

"I think Mr. Knuckles may be right," said Cream, "I don't think it would be nice of him to leave us alone here."

"In case you haven't noticed," started Shadow, "that guy who attacked you probably isn't nice."

"Well, I think Rouge has a point," said Vector, "he teleported us to some place where we can't screw up his plans."

Then Sonic said, "Nah. He's probably here."

"I think Knuckles has the right idea." Said Tails, "You know how I made that device that can track the Chaos emeralds?"

"Yeah," said Sonic.

"Well, I was looking at it, and it actually detected some Chaos emeralds."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Asked Sonic, "C'mon, let's go get the emeralds."

"Not so fast," said Chris, "there are weirdoes stalking the streets and we are helpless. We need to make a more considered approach if we are to get the emeralds back. After all, the Phantoms have the Chaos emeralds."

Sonic groaned and put his feet up on the table with an annoyed look on his face.

"Now, we need to find a way to defeat these Phantoms." Said Amy.

"Well it seems they were able to rule the city with impunity by knocking out several power generators. If we can get these generators back online, we may be able to take away the Phantoms' advantage of using the darkened streets."

"How are we going to do that?" Shadow asked.

"I think I can go and repair the generators," said Tails.

"But it's too dangerous for you to go," warned Cream, "maybe Mr. Sonic should go, because he is fast and won't get hurt."

Sonic's eyes brightened as a fire was freshly lit in his eyes. He could smell another adventure brewing. "Sure," said Sonic, "I'll bring the light back."

"Okay," said Tails, "but you need to wear your wrist communicator. I'll relay instructions for how to fix the generator."

Sonic put his watch back on. As quick as a flash, Sonic sped out of the door. He looked at his watch and found the nearest substation. As he walked in the substation, he was accosted by fierce looking men in blue hoodies. Sonic spin dashed into the group and knocked them over. More attacked with bats and firearms. Sonic dodged the attacks and whittled away at their numbers. One man threw a pair of socks and a whoopee cushion. And Sonic won the battle. He walked to the end section of the substation and found another man tampering with the substation. Sparks flew and the generator burst. Power went out in the entire city.

A voice called out over Sonic's radio. The voice belonged to Tails. "What happened Sonic? The power went out in the entire city!"

Sonic answered, "I encountered one of those Phantom dudes. He got rid of an entire substation."

"Now we're going to have to do things the hard way. I'm giving you the coordinates of a nearby manhole that'll take you to the underground generator."

Sonic ran to a manhole and jumped into the sewer.

Sonic almost lost consciousness when he entered the sewer. The smell of feces and urine permeated the environment and hung around the entire structure like a stench follows a corpse. "Ughh," Sonic said, "I used to complain when people forgot to flush. Now I wish they did forget to flush."

"Suck it up, Sonic. We need that generator back online."

"Yeesh, when did you get hardcore?"

Tails didn't answer. Sonic sighed. Cosmo hurt Tails more deeply than he thought. Sonic closed his nostrils and began to make headway down the sewers. The dark, dank and deep abyss had nothing to scare Sonic. Except for the water which he often had to wade in. The sole thing that ran through Sonic's mind was the fear he would reach an underwater pit, fall in and drown. And nobody would find him. He attempted to push the thought out of his mind, but every time he did, the feeling was reinforced. Finally, he found the generator. Sonic crawled weakly out of the putrid water that sapped his energy.

"I found the generator," Sonic spoke into his communicator.

"Good," answered Tails, "now, listen carefully. Do you see a red terminal?"

"Yes."

"Access the wires behind it. Then pull the green wire…"

_Minutes later…_

"Now, pull the lever, Sonic." Sonic noticed that there were two levers. Afraid of looking like an idiot, Sonic pulled the left lever. "WRONG LEVER!" Screamed Tails as Sonic heard a plummeting sound over the communicator followed by a splash. Sonic saw a yellow thing swim up to the generator. The thing rose. It was Tails. "Why do they even have a lever like that?" Tails mumbled as he pulled the right lever. The generator moaned and groaned like an ancient zombie that recently awoke. A zombie appeared and tried to eat Tails' tails. Tails slapped the zombie, and the zombie ran away barking like a dog. The generator hummed and beeped.

"There," said Tails. "Now let's get back to the mansion. I need a shower."

"Me too."

Sonic and Tails crawled out of a manhole minutes later. They looked around and saw the city beautifully come to life. Light poured out of all the street lamps and buildings. It was a magnificent sight. The city complimented the darkened sky of evening. Sonic and Tails headed back to the mansion, feeling tired, dirty and sweaty. It reminded Sonic of gym back in high school.


	6. Chapter 6: Trucker Hats of Doom

Chapter 6: Trucker Hats of Doom

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonorris. Sonorris owns me. **

Sonic was happy being in the shower. The cool water flowing down his small body, washing away the entire gunk he accumulated during his trip in the bowel movement area of the city. Suddenly, the shower began to fill with water. Sonic was upside down and panicking. He looked at the drain and saw a pink thing clogging the drain. He pulled out the pink thing in the drain and the water level fell. He looked at the pink monster. It was Amy, sporting her red and white poka-dot bikini. Sonic screamed. His hand pressed against the door of the glass shower, but he was dragged back. Amy laughed.

When Sonic came out of the shower, his face was covered in cherry red lipstick that formed an ellipse. The marking was found all over his cheeks and one was on his lips. He put on a bathrobe and sat down. He saw Tails, who had taken his shower earlier and next to him was Cream. To the opposite of them were Knuckles, Shadow, Vector and Rouge. Sitting in the recliner was Chris. "Now that we're all here," began Tails, "I think we can begin. When the power was restored, I monitored the city for any and all energy anomalies. I found a spot with a Chaos emerald."

"Finally, we're getting somewhere." Shadow mumbled.

"The emerald is in this section," Tails said as he pointed at a gas station in the northeast part of the district. "It should be easy to find the emerald, but we shouldn't take any chances. That's why Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Vector will go to the gas station."

"Excuse me," said Rouge, "but where do the rest of us come in? I'd rather not just sit here and be pretty."

Knuckles then whispered, "Pretty my (bleep)." Rouge threw her boot at Knuckles. He got knocked over the sofa.

"I have a special mission for us to do while Sonic and the others go to the gas station. It will involve getting a Chaos emerald."

Sonic wiped his mouth and spoke, "Now let's go. I'm tired of waiting."

"Be careful Sonic," said Amy, "it's probably guarded."

Sonic said, "Don't worry Ames, this'll be easy."

Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Vector walked out of the mansion. "So, do we know where we're going?" Asked Knuckles. Sonic, Shadow and Vector stared at Knuckles.

"What? I space out whenever Tails is giving one of those plan overviews."

Sonic simply shook his head. The group raced of in silence to their target. The found the gas station. It was painted red and had a sign in front of the pumps telling the gas prices. The gas station itself had a 1950's vibe. Young couples dressed in leather filled up their cars, or sat on the hoods of their cars and drank soda. Others were flirting and carousing in suggestive manners and ate what snacks they brought. The gas station still looked very old and dilapidated, contrasting sharply with its cheek, young patrons.

"You sure we got the right place?" Asked Shadow.

"This is it," said Vector. They entered the gas station. The younger people made snarky comments about the "weirdness" of some of the new people in town. Vector checked in a garbage can. "Who'd throw this away?" He asked as he surfaced from his foray into the dumpster. In his right hand, Vector held a bag of cheese puffs. During his time on Earth, Vector had become accustomed to eating such food. He put the bag in his pocket and continued to look for the emerald.

Knuckles had taken to asking one of the patrons if he saw an emerald. He got mixed answers. Some of the teens told him the emerald was in one direction, others claimed to see it in another. Some even professed to not even knowing about an emerald. This was the reoccurring theme with teenagers; a story seemed so clear at a distance, but the closer you move to it, the vaguer it becomes. Knuckles shook his head and resorted to overturning some cars to find it (which wasn't accepted by the adolescents).

Sonic and Shadow, however, had some good luck. They checked behind the gas station and found a hat on the ground. "Grrrr," growled Sonic, "we're never going to find the emerald." Shadow picked up the hat and gazed at it. It was a hat that some truckers wore to make fun of the stereotype of truck drivers. On the front, it had the words _Foxy Babe_ inscribed on the front. When Shadow tossed the hat away, he heard something go _kerplunk!_ He turned around and smiled at what he saw: a Chaos emerald, in all its power and beauty, sitting where the hat landed. "Well now, look what we have here," said Shadow as he picked up the emerald. But then suddenly, Shadow was launched across the parking lot and bounced off of a car.

Sonic, Knuckles and Vector saw Shadow get lobbed from behind the gas station and they saw an unusual sight. They spied a hat, floating in midair! The hat knocked over a few trash cans and their contained items levitated in the air. Suddenly, the trash fired in all directions. Sonic and Shadow spin dashed to avoid the flying debris. Knuckles and Vector picked up the lids of some garbage cans and used them as shields. The teenagers ran away, save for one person who looked at the hat and said, "Whoa, rock ON, freaky hat! Whoo!" Vector knocked the teen over to save him from being hit in the head with a flying beer bottle.

Knuckles rushed at the hat and tried to punch it. The hat repelled him. In a car, there was a young teen couple who were unaware of what was transpiring. They were embracing each other with warm kisses and hugs. "I love you, Veronica," said one teen. "I love you, too, Austin," replied the other teen. As they were about to kiss yet again, a large red echidna smashed into the windshield of the car, making a squished face that even a mother could slug. The teens screamed and turned on the windshield wipers and tried to drive away. The wipers repeatedly smacked Knuckles back and forth until the car stopped and launched Knuckles across the parking lot. He landed on the hat and smashed it flatter than paper. The hat launched Knuckles twenty feet into the air and the _Foxy Babe_ letters began to glow brightly. A brilliant flash of light surrounded the gas station. "So," said Vector, "this is how it ends; being killed by awesome headwear." "No!" Shouted Shadow. The hat was about to unleash its final attack. And our heroes would not walk away victorious.

But the letters on the hat stopped glowing and the hat fell back on the ground, defeated. Sonic appeared with a plug in his hands. "Oops," said Sonic, "I think I unplugged something important." The cord in his hands led to the trucker hat of doom. Vector, Knuckles and Shadow looked surprised. But that didn't matter now. They had a Chaos emerald. Surveying the entire scene was a Phantom with an R/C controller in his hands. He stood next to another Phantom. "See?" Said the Phantom without the controller, "I _told_ you the trucker hat of doom was worthless." "So? We gotta stop those animals, or Arvana will have our skins!" The Phantoms jumped from their perch on the building in front of Sonic and his friends. The Phantoms brandished rifles. "Give us back our emerald and we'll pwn you all hard." The other Phantom turned to him. "Uh," said the Phantom, "don't you mean 'or'?" The other Phantom heavily sighed. "Okay, give us our emerald, _or_ we'll pwn you hard." The Phantoms found that Sonic and his friends were nowhere to be found. "Great! You let them get away!"

"You know," said Vector, "I don't think those guys knew what they were doing."

"Yeah," said Knuckles.

When Sonic and the others arrived home, they found Tails, Rouge, Amy and Cream waiting for them. Tails held out another Chaos emerald. "Well, well, well, Tails," said Sonic, "looks like some people did well tonight." "And guess what, Mr. Sonic?" Cream excitedly said, "We got you something else, too." Their arms unfolded from their backs and they held out trucker hats that had the words _Foxy Babe_ inscribed on the front of the hats. Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Vector screamed. All of them ran to their respective rooms. "What's with them?" Asked Tails. Amy shrugged her shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7: The Fence

Chapter 7: The Fence

**Disclaimer: I think you know what I don't own by now.**

When Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Vector left the mansion. Tails started to explain, "Okay, we're going to have to find the other Chaos emerald we detected."

"Where is the Chaos emerald?" Rouge asked.

Tails enlarges the map of the city. "Right there," Tails said as he pointed to an alleyway in the southwest part of the district.

"But that's in an alley," said Cream, "Mama always told me not to go in a dark alley."

"Did she say that when the Chaos emeralds were stolen and we have to find them from a madman?" Said Amy.

"No." Replied Cream.

Rouge then said, "Alright, we have to be careful. I know that part of the city. Topaz and I had to bust some international jewel thief in that alley."

"And that's why we're going there." Said Tails, "Because the Phantoms made a deal with a fence to sell a Chaos emerald. We need to stop the transaction, or else we'll lose that Chaos emerald forever."

The remaining people exited the mansion. Rouge led the way to the alleyway, the buildings becoming more decrepit and old as they neared the alleyway. When they were near the alleyway, the group saw two men, one short and burly, and the other tall and slim. They were talking amongst themselves. A little girl bumped into the man that was tall and slim. "Excuse me," said the little girl. However, with keen eyes, Tails, Cream, Rouge and Amy saw the little girl take something out of the man's pocket. "She's stealing," Cream whispered. However, the little girl didn't get away with it. The man caught her and yelled, "How DARE you steal from me! You should be strung up!" The little girl started crying. The other man turned to him and said, "Isn't that a little harsh?" "I don't know what kind of world you're living in, but here we need money, or else we can't protect ourselves against the Phantoms." The man turned to the little girl. "You're going straight to the police after you give me my wallet." The yelling attracted a crowd. The girl saw this, and she began to lie. She began crying again, "No! Don't beat me daddy!" "What?!" Screamed the man in astonishment. "Please! I didn't mean to drop the pot again. Emma can't walk when she dropped the pot; she needs me to help her! Have mercy!" Tails knew what was going on. He wanted to help the girl escape. He remembered seeing an EMT stationed at a nearby street. Tails then said, "That's right! The EMT at 31st and Cleveland said she'd never be able to walk again." This reinforced the little girl's lie. The girl knew Tails was helping her, so she played on Tails' addition, "Yes. We can't drop a pot in our household, no sir, that'd get you a beating." The crowd was risen from shocked to anger. "I think you should be strung up, old man!" Shouted someone in the crowd. Soon, the crowd haled the man away and all that was left was the group and the little girl. The little girl went over to Tails and said, "Thanks! I owe you one." She then ran off. Amy, Rouge, and Cream were all surprised at what Tails did. "Why did you do that, Tails?" Asked Amy. "I didn't want to see her get hurt. She was probably stealing to survive."

The group proceeded through the alley and immediately came across the impoverished section of the city. Old and desecrated buildings made the walls of the place. The pathway was not paved with cement, but with sand and stone. "This place is a hole!" Cried Cream. "We know it is, Cream," said Rouge, "now let's get going." As they started walking, Tails saw Cream was being left behind. He went over to Cream. "Cream?" Asked Tails "Is there something wrong?" "Tails, Cheese and I are scared. If something happens, will…will you protect us?" "Of course I will Cream," replied Tails. He saw her smile a little. "Will you protect us like you protected that girl?" "I would do anything to protect you." The smile on Cream's face widened. Tails felt a warm feeling sweep over him. It felt like something that was lost in his heart became filled. What was it? He knew Cream had something to do with it. Then the cold feeling of realization replaced the warm feeling of conviction. _Do...do I…love Cream?_ Tails thought with fear. It wasn't that he didn't like Cream. But he felt confused. He knew he loved Cosmo. But what if he did love Cream? It'd mean everything he felt with Cosmo would be tossed aside like rotten fruit amidst the daily garbage along with that old doll.

Tails and the rest of the group moved on. Rouge was teasing Cream about loving Tails (when, of course, Tails was not in earshot). But as they traveled further, they came across Phantoms. The group fought valiantly, using their speed to dodge attacks and defeat the Phantoms. As they neared the fence, the group spotted a large group of Phantoms, along with some police officers.

"Why are they keeping company with the Phantoms?" Asked Amy as the anger welled up in her face.

"There just going where the money is," replied Rouge, "if you're going to risk your life, at least do it for the highest pay."

"Then why don't you work with the Phantoms then, Rouge?" Angrily asked Amy.

"Stop crowding me. First, they are selling a gem, which isn't my style. Second, blue and neon green hoodies are so last year."

"How do you know its last year? We should be respectful." Said Cream.

"I know a guy." Said Rouge.

Amy was just about to hit Rouge over the head, when Tails stopped her. "Stop it! You can kill Rouge when we're back at the mansion. We have to find a way around those cops."

"Isn't it obvious?" Asked Cream. "We can make a distraction, like set a fire to one of the roofs. That'd draw the police away from the Phantoms, who we can take on."

Tails, Amy and Rouge were surprised by Cream's break out of brilliance. "She's right," said Tails, "Rouge, you can set a fire to one of the roofs to draw the police away. We're going with your plan, Cream." "What plan?" Asked Cream.

Rouge snuck away and took an old cigarette lighter. She ignited one of the buildings. She then shouted "Help! Fire!" The police looked in the direction and saw the blazing spire. "Oh, God, not tonight." The police started to go to the fire when the Phantoms stopped them. "Where d'you think you all are going? The lady in charge paid you all to stay with us." "Your leader paid us to look the other way, not let the district burn down." The police then left to stop the fire. Tails and the group then defeated the Phantoms.

They ran down the alleyways with break neck speed. The Police and Phantoms slowed them down. If they were to have any hope of getting to the Chaos emerald, they needed to be as fast as a cheetah, no, as fast as Sonic. They finally found the cart with the Chaos emerald. "There it is!" Cried Tails. However, the group was detected by the Phantoms. The Phantoms pointed their weapons at Tails and the group. "Well, look who we got here!" Exclaimed a Phantom, "Now, if you want to live, come and give us a hand with the emerald." "Jed! Stop making those offers! It isn't the Phantom way!" Soon the Phantoms were arguing amongst themselves. Rouge slipped into the crowd and stole the Chaos emerald. Cream slipped into the crowd, and came out with a stack of _Foxy Babe _trucker hats. The group then returned to the mansion.

"You sure I can't keep it?" Asked Rouge as she held an ice pack to her head. "You can't keep it," said Amy as she swung her hammer over her shoulder. Amy saw Cream wearing a hat that read _Foxy Babe._ "What are you wearing?" Asked Amy. "Hi Ms. Amy! I and Cheese are _Foxy Babes_! Whatever that means." Amy was going to tell Cream the meaning behind _Foxy Babe._ But then she stopped herself. Amy wanted to preserve Cream's innocence. Besides, Cream was probably wearing it because Cream was in love with Tails. Tails was on the sofa with a deep expression of thought. "What are you thinking about, Tails?" Asked Rouge. "Oh nothing." Said Tails. In truth, he was confused about what happened with him and Cream in the alleyway. Did he love her? He pushed the confusion out of his mind. He needed to talk to someone about this. "Mr. Sonic will be so happy when he finds out we got a Chaos emerald. And I think he'll like the hats!" Cream said excitedly. She was a cauldron bubbling with energy after today's events.

The door opened. Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Vector walked in and put a Chaos emerald on the table. Tails put his Chaos emerald on the table as well. "Well, well, well," said Sonic, "you all did well today." Cream then said, "Mr. Sonic! We got you all something else!" She then held out the hats that said _Foxy Babe._ Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Vector screamed and ran to their respective rooms. "What's with them?" Asked Tails. Amy and Cream shrugged their shoulders.


	8. Chapter 8: Dreams, Fortunetelling and a

Chapter 8: Dreams, Fortunetelling and a Fear of Rabbits

**Disclaimer: Lawyer: This is plagiarism- this is infringement!**

** Author: Infringement? THIS. ISN'T. MINE! (Author kicks lawyer into hole)**

** Lawyer: !**

Dawn broke over the horizon of Station Square. With a new day, a new peace broke out. For them moment. It wouldn't be long until the Phantoms began their usual patrols. Unfortunately, this was when most people woke up, too. And among these people were our heroes.

Sonic and Tails both awoke from strange dreams. In Sonic's dream, he was in space, but he could breathe normally. The cold reaches of space didn't touch him. It was afraid of touching him. And then Sonic saw the man approach him. "You!" Shouted Sonic. He homed in on the man, but he hit a barrier. In a dark field, Sonic was repelled with a strong force and drifted helplessly in space for a few moments.

"Hah!" Screamed the man with delight. "Did you really think you could harm me? Don't worry; I am not here to fight yet."

"Yes you are," replied Sonic, "why else would you have come here?"

"To tell you a few things."

"Like what?"

"That things are going to get serious. I've seen you and your buddies parade yourselves around like peacocks; showing off at any chance you get. There are no second chances. Cosmo should have taught you this. You failed, she failed, Tails failed, and Cosmo's world ended in the worst possible way. I learned that the hard way. And by God, you're going to learn that, too."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough with the hero lesson. Now who are you?"

"Just a concerned citizen," said the man.

The man started walking to Sonic. He moved slowly at first, but then moved at a brisk pace. Then he moved so quickly Sonic didn't see him. He felt the man's fingers digging into his head. He saw the man's face. It was cold and unforgiving. It was as grey as a ghost's face and twice as real. His eyes were onyx and large, black, pulsing veins wrapped around his head to his cheeks. And then Sonic began to see different hallucinations; visions, one could say.

What Sonic saw was horrible; no words could describe it. He saw death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. And everything was frozen in ice and snow. Then he saw the fateful night Hertia, Cosmo's mom, was taken from Cosmo. He saw only vague silhouettes of the people who kidnapped Hertia. Whoever were the people who attacked her-and the Seedrian planet- were professionals; trained for this sort of thing.

Sonic dropped to the floor when the man let go of him. All Sonic knew was that the man he looked at-the man who should him the visions- was the cause of it all.

Tails' dream was radically different, but at the same time, just as odd. He dreamt he was back in his workshop, sleeping in his bed. But his bedside was unusually large; it could fit two people.

"Wake up, honey." Said a voice. Tails turned his head on his pillow. He opened his eyes softly as the bright light flooded in. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw someone standing at his bedside. He saw who it was.

It was Cream.

"Wake up, honey," she said, "breakfast is ready."

Cream turned to the window and opened the shades. A bell tolled in the distance. "I almost forgot how beautiful the morning bell sounded." Cream said. She then went over to Tails to wake him up. Tails sat up in his bed. "So you are awake." Cream said.

"I feel like I'm in a dream," said Tails as he wondered why Cream referred to him in such endearing terms.

"I know. You always work so hard to support us. But the festival is today, and you have the day off. We can devote this day to ourselves, my sweet."

Tails didn't even know what was going on. What did Cream mean about "supporting us?" Why did she call him such endearing terms? Why did she act like they were lovers? Tails felt terribly confused. And the dream ended.

Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. The aroma of tasty food wafted in the air as a scent wafts off of a flower. It had been months since Sonic and his friends tasted Ella's cooking. With the quarantine in place, such simple foods such as bacon and eggs became the rare delicacy that littered the tableside of Kings. They all ate the food, enjoying them, talking and eating and making merry as if to forget the dangerous world outside.

"Any word from Topaz" asked Mr. Tanaka.

"No," said Tails, "I haven't seen her at all."

That seemed to be the only thing Mr. Tanaka was worried about. Even as he hunted through the garbage to help provide for the meal, he still thought of Topaz. That was how strong he felt for her. And Sonic and his friends would have to find her, eventually.

After they finished the morning meal, everyone helped put the dishes away. Soon, they all gathered around the table. Tails then asked, "What are you all doing?"

"We're waiting for our mission to find a Chaos emerald." Answered Knuckles.

"I don't have a mission."

"WHAT?!" They all said.

"I thought we could all use a break. Y'know, lay low for awhile."

"We can't!" Said Shadow, "Not while that madman runs loose with the other emeralds."

"Calm down Shadow," said Tails. "There's time for that. I need to do something first."

"Can I come with you?" Asked Cream.

"Sure," said Tails.

"May I come too?" Asked Amy.

"I guess so."

And so, Tails, Cream and Amy went out of the front door.

"Where are we going?" Asked Cream.

"Trust me," said Tails, "I know where we're going."

They all followed Tails. The eventually wound up near a shop with a sign hanging on the top wall, reading _Aunt Daschniiya's Fortunetelling._

"We're getting our fortunes told!" Cried Cream with excitement. She had only visited one fortuneteller. That was when she visited the Planet of Misfortune. And Cream was absorbed in it. As they entered the shop, Cream was excited to take it all in, like a sponge. The beads hung in front of the door, the useless knick-knacks, brick-a-brack and bubble gum that decorated the walls in a mosaic tribute to the urban life, the old couch with more than a few springs that pierced the seating, the sickly purple walls that enclosed such a space…One would think that such space was wasted, but to Cream, not a single inch was wasted.

In the doorway waited a woman in an odd dress. The dress seemed similar to Cosmo's, except yellow in color, and the skirt was wilder and untamed. Her hair dropped down to her waste, and it seemed almost leaf-like, and also wilder and untamed. She was fairly short at five-foot-two and quite slim. She wore an old cowboy hat and carried in her hands a deck of cards and a bottle of soda. She went to greet the customers and but the cards and bottle down.

"Hello, I am Daschniiya."

"Hi," said Tails, off put by Daschniiya's outlandish appearance, "we're here to have our fortunes told."

"Oh, yes," Daschniiya said, "Of course. So who is going first?"

Before Cream could raise her hand, Tails responded with I am. Daschniiya led Tails into a room. Cream and Cheese followed behind and put their ears on the door.

"What are you doing?" Asked Amy.

"Cheese and I are spying."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'll leave you alone. C'mon, Cheese."

"Chao?"

"Yes now."

As Amy and Cheese walked away, Cream listened intently.

"So, why have you come?"

"Well, I lost someone very near and dear to me…"

"I see. You know the old saying, 'Time heals all wounds', and it heals wounds in mysterious ways. Let's see if we can find something in your love line."

"I really didn't-"

"Oh, but I insist. I'll even do it for free. I know all too well the pain of losing a loved one."

After a few minutes, the voice of Daschniiya started again. "Oh! "

"What?"

"I see something interesting."

"What?"

"I saw the girl you will fall for."

"Who?"

"She is quite pretty. Such lovely brown eyes and a winning smile. And such a personality! She has a gentle, golden heart. And she can be very brave when need be. And such long ears…"

Cream stopped listening at this point. She knew Daschniiya was talking about her. She walked back to the waiting room, love struck. She could see the future. She could see the day when Tails would go up to her and tell her he was over Cosmo. Then, she could see the day Tails would ask her out. Then, she imagined the day when Tails would grasp her hand and ask Cream the five life-changing words: "Cream, will you marry me?" She would say yes and there would be such great emotion in the place, Cream and Tails hugging and kissing and crying. Then, some point during their marriage, Tails would carry Cream into their bedroom and in the darkness, they would try to find the loose ends of each other's clothing. Nine months later, they would see the product of their love: a child. The would watch him or her grow up, fall in love and repeat what Tails and Cream have done. If this was Cream's future, she could hardly wait.

Tails walked out of the door where Daschniiya was. Tails seemed somewhat happy. "Who's next?" Asked Daschniiya. "I am!" Said Amy. She went into the room.

"So, what did she say?" Asked Cream.

"Oh, she said…stuff." Answered Tails.

A few minutes later, Amy came out, happy. "Who's-" "I am!"

Cream went into the room with Daschniiya. Cream noticed a fireplace on the north wall of the room.

"Now," began Daschniiya, "I have a method of fortunetelling that I'm sure you'll love better than having your palm read."

Daschniiya handed Cream a bone.

"Now, you'll toss that bone into the fire-"

"Why? What did the bone do to me?"

"Just throw it in."

Cream threw the bone into the fire.

"Now," said Daschniiya, "We have to watch the bone for cracks. They will tell us your future."

Then, a huge crack formed on the bone. And then, it exploded.

"Oh!" Cried Daschniiya, "You have an important future! You will partake in a great battle between good and evil! The outcome shall decide the fate of the universe!"

"Yeah, I know that," yawned Cream, "but is there something in there about a guy?"

"A…a guy? You want to know about love?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't see anything."

Cream felt like crying. The future she molded in her head seemed to give way to reality. And Daschniiya noticed this too.

"Calm down, young one! I must have missed something." Daschniiya picked up a fleck of bone meal.

"See? This one tells me that you are a lucky little girl. You can form your own destiny; you can fall in love with whoever you want."

Cream smiled at this. She then said thank you and left to the waiting room. But she didn't find Amy or Tails there. She didn't find Cheese. Cream ran out into the street. And then she saw the large shipyards the group passed. A voice sounded over a megaphone in the compound.

"Hey, little girl! What's wrong, lost your mommy? Or did you lose your friends?! That's right, we have 'em. You want them? Come and get 'em."

Cream did not know what to do. She was absolutely terrified. She took out her communicator. "Mr. Sonic! Help!" She cried into it. "Sorry, Cream, we're a little busy." And over the communicator, she heard the sounds of a brawl in progress. There was only one thing she could do. She raced into the compound.

As she ran, she was met with the faces-and guns- of the Phantoms. She barreled through them, only focusing on finding Tails, Amy and Cheese. As she ran, she encountered more Phantoms and she defeated them. Soon, she took to flying high in the air and found a cage with people. She freed them and pressed on.

"Cream!" A voice shouted. Cream turned around and saw Amy, Tails and Cheese suspended in mid air by a rope from a crane. Cream flew to the crane controls. And she found some more Phantoms. This time, they were prepared. They brandished swords that were on fire.

"Hello, little girl." Said a Phantom, "You've made it this far. But the finish line is so far away. You're not going to make it. Know why? 'Cause of us! Now, execute action 13$$$beta!"

The Phantoms dropped their guns and said, "PLEASE! YOUR OMNIPOTENCE! HAVE MERCY!"

"We can talk about mercy when you all free my friends and scrub all the floors in Mobius."

"(Bleep) you mother(bleep)er!" Said the Phantom. Cream had no idea about what the Phantom just said. But she knew she had to take action. She became enraged and punched the one Phantom. The others took out their knives and chased out to attack Cream. But they forgot that Cream was flying in mid-air. All of the Phantoms plummeted off of the crane.

After Cream washed the Phantoms' mouths with soap, she scaled the crane and lowered her friends. She flew back down to untie them.

Afterwards, Cheese nuzzled Cream in gratitude and happiness.

"Wow," said Amy, "You know, Cream looks so gentle. But she can be very brave. I forget that sometimes."

"Wait!" Said Tails, "What did you say?"

"I said Cream is gentle and brave."

Tails came to a sudden realization. Tails knew who Daschniiya was describing.

"I suppose she is." Tails said quietly. So Cream was who Daschniiya was describing…

Back at the mansion, Cream, Tails and Amy were telling the others about this adventure.

"LOL, you guys needed Cream to rescue you," jeered Shadow and Knuckles.

"Then why didn't you all rescue us?" asked Amy, "Were you all too chicken to help us?"

"Nah," said Sonic, "it was just that we ourselves were under attack."

"Oh, yeah? By who?"

"Some Phantom named Leroy Jenkins and his friends."

The figure from Sonic's dream saw everything. He was secretly proud of Cream. She was quite fierce and loyal to her friends and acted with great passion with whatever she did. He was proud of Cream for that, and she reminded him of whom he was ultimately doing this for. He took out a picture from his pocket and looked at it. "I love you," the figure said to the photo, "please, try to forgive me. I tainted your name with mine. Abraxis should never have been, but he still is. And he gazes at our photo, right now." He recited his name with hatred. What was he doing? Cream was becoming closer to Tails. Soon, Cosmo's death would have less and less of an impact on Tails. What would he do then? Kill Cream to prepare them for what is coming? That'd never do. But if it did, he would. He walked away.


	9. Chapter 9: Engineer for the Win

Chapter 9: Engineer for the Win

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic. So stop asking!**

Sonic was dashing across the city at high speed. He needed to clear his head, and running often did just that. The feeling of his arms and legs moving in concert, the rushing wind that bombarded his face and the feeling of his heart beating made him feel alive, somehow. He was running in the West district of the city, a medium-sized island that was connected to the city by only a thin bridge. The bridge was up and only Sonic could access the island.

_Beep! Beep!_ Went Sonic's communicator. He stopped to answer. He looked at the display and it showed Chris's face.

"What's up, Chris?" Asked Sonic.

"Sonic, do you remember my grandfather?"

"Yeah," said Sonic. Sonic wasn't particularly fond of Chuck Thorndike because when they first met, he shoved a screwdriver up Sonic's butt, thinking he was a robot.

"Well, he has disappeared ever since a few days ago. I think the Phantoms may have their hands on him."

"Okay," said Sonic, "I'll look for him."

Sonic ran off, searching every inch of the district. No sign of old Chuck Thorndike anywhere. He was even surprised Chuck lasted this long; he was old when Sonic met him. What did he look like now?

Sonic jumped onto a roof top to see if he could find Chris's grandfather. Out in the distance, Sonic saw an old man. His hair was wild and dirty, which covered his almost pale white hair. Aside from a few wrinkles, he had quite a youthful face. His lab coat was caked with layer upon layer of mud. Sonic recognized him. He is Chuck Thorndike.

He was kneeling in a park square, in front of two Phantoms. The Phantoms brandished shotguns. Sonic called in to Chris.

"Uh, Chris?"

"Yes, Sonic?"

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is I found Chuck. The bad news is it looks like he did something to tick the Phantoms off."

Chris gasped. "Grandpa's alive! Listen Sonic, he is probably there because rumor has it that the Phantoms are kidnapping engineers to force them to work on something big. And anyone who refuses to work…" 

"I know," said Sonic.

"You have to rescue him!"

Sonic spin dashed into the Phantoms, defeating them in lightning-quick strikes. Sonic walked up to Chuck, and he helped him up. The old man eyed Sonic with surprise.

"S-Sonic? Is that you?" Asked Chuck.

"Yes," said Sonic.

"I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I know, but we can talk later. We need to get out of here."

"Alright. But first, we need to lower the bridge."

"Why?"

"So we can get across."

"Oh."

Sonic and Chuck Thorndike ran down the streets, dodging Phantoms at every turn. The city was prowled by Phantoms who heard of an escaped engineer. Sonic and Chuck eventually reached the bridge. It pointed out into the sky, like a magnificent shard that jutted out of the Earth.

"How are we going to fix that?" Asked Sonic.

"We aren't fixing the bridge. We need to fix the controls." Said Chuck.

Chuck started repairing the controls, fixing cut wires, removing and replacing fried circuit boards and removing the occasional pizza slice jammed into the control box. Sonic noticed that several Phantoms were closing in on the location. Sonic rushed out to defeat them. They had learned who they were up against, and fought cautiously with Sonic. They attacked in concert and took any opening Sonic had in his defenses. The Phantoms swarmed Sonic and forced him to the ground. As a Phantom was ready beat Sonic into a paste the Phantom would spread over crackers as a delicious afternoon snack, a car bowled the dog-pile into the sea. Sonic jumped out of the pile at the last moment.

"It's done," said Chuck confidently. The bridge creaked and moaned like another ancient zombie that rose out of the ground. Sonic punched the zombie that was about to eat Sonic. The zombie ran into the sewers, yelping. The bridge moved slowly down in an arc and creaked and groaned as it moved across its ancient path. Suddenly, the bridge stopped in mid-air.

"Darn!" Exclaimed Chuck, "The hydraulics on the other side isn't engaging!"

"Is that bad?" Asked Sonic.

"Yes! I can't go to the other side to fix it!"

"I'll call Tails."

"No, don't. This place is too dangerous for someone as gentle as Tails."

"Well, he's our only chance."

"No, he isn't. There is another engineer on the other side. Contact him, and have him help repair the hydraulics. He should be in the park."

Sonic ran across the water, trampling the floating Phantoms, and ran to the park. He sped across an old, ruined pass and arrived at the park. He then saw another pair of Phantoms. But, kneeling on the ground were three robots and a large man. Sonic spin dashed into the Phantoms.

"Egg-face!" Sonic exclaimed condescendingly.

"Sonic!" Said Eggman.

"Sonic!" Said Decoe.

"Decoe!" said Bocoe.

"Bocoe!" Said Sonic.

"Bokkun!" Said Bokkun.

The others stared at Bokkun. "What?" Asked Bokkun. Sonic shook his head.

"What are you all doing here?" Asked Sonic.

"I don't know!" Answered Eggman, "All I know is I woke up in an alley with my head pounding, then these weird dudes in hoodies attack and force me to work on something for their leader!"

"I saw pretty colors," added Bokkun.

Sonic face palmed him. "Look," began Sonic, "That's not the point. You have to help me fix a bridge."

"Why should I?" Asked Eggman defiantly.

"Because if you don't, I'm leaving you all with the Phantoms."

"NO!" Screamed Bokkun. "I don't like them! They're nasty and evil and need to take showers and they never butter my toast!"

"C'mon boss," said Decoe, "we need to get out of here. And we need a place to stay!"

"Oh alright," gave in Eggman.

"Yayz!" Exclaimed Bokkun.

"Whoa there!" Halted Sonic, "I never said you could have a place to stay."

"Oh come on!" Said Bocoe, "Have a heart!"

"Have pity on us," beseeched Dr. Eggman. That proud man got on his knees, clasped his hands together and pleaded once more, "All we do is sleep in a box and we get whipped with a wet noodle every day!"

"Oh alright," said Sonic

"Yayz again!" Exclaimed Bokkun.

The group made their way back to the bridge. Dr. Eggman was sent to work. And Sonic, Bocoe, Decoe and Bokkun defended Dr. Eggman. Sonic was dashing to and fro, defeating unwary Phantoms and grappling with tougher foes. Decoe and Bocoe were busy being shoved to the ground by massive dog piles. Two Phantoms were locked in volleyball match together, using Bokkun as volleyball.

Sonic quickly defeated all of the Phantoms as Dr. Eggman repaired the hydraulics. The bridge finally lowered and connected. Chuck sprinted to the other side and spotted Dr. Eggman and his cohorts. "YOU!" Exclaimed Chuck.

After a brief round of Dr. Eggman being told off by Chuck, they all walked back to the mansion.

"Sonic," said Chris, "Thank you for saving Grandpa. But, why did you bring Dr. Eggman and the others here?"

On the sofa, Dr. Eggman was lounging, eating, drinking and farting. Decoe and Bocoe were annoying Knuckles and Rouge, who both tried to have a nice, private discussion, and Bokkun was at it again. As Cream passed by Bokkun to sit with Tails (as they were both spending a large amount of their time together) Bokkun grabbed Cream's butt. She gasped, turned to Bokkun, and slapped him across the face.

"Well," said Sonic, "it was part of the deal we made…"

"What deal?" Asked Tails, who was guarding Cream.

Sonic explained everything to them: the bridge and the deal he cut with Eggman.

"Well," said Shadow, "it seems we're stuck with the doctor again."

"Unfortunately," said Amy. She saw Sonic go to his room, and Amy followed.

"What's wrong?" Asked Amy.

"Nothing," replied Sonic, "I'm just tired." He hopped into his bed and pulled the sheets over his head. Amy noticed a large cut over Sonic's eye. She got a bandage and some Neosporin and tried to treat Sonic's wound.

"Whoa!" Said Sonic, "No touching!"

Amy lowered her hands. "Fine," she said, "Then tomorrow, the cut will get infected and you'll get a fever."

Sonic sighed and let Amy spread the cream on his cut. He looked at Amy, and something struck him quite suddenly. He never truly looked at Amy before. Now that he was taking her appearance in, he was lost in thought. He was awestruck her powerful yet slender figure. Her gentle eyes were calm, and they shimmered and created their own light. _She is beautiful, _thought Sonic. Her hands were smooth and soft as he felt her hands nimbly race across the cut and relaxation ensued.

"There," said Amy, "I'm done." She was about to leave the room when Sonic said, "Wait Amy!"

Amy turned around. "What Sonic?"

"Um, well…I'd like to talk to you for awhile."

"You would?!"

"Sure."

Amy pulled up a stool next to Sonic's bed. They began to talk about many things: their adventure, adventures in the past, their friends, and everything else. Like they were on their first date. As they talked, they both became more comfortable with each other and they both smiled. They would have shared a kiss were it not for one thing.

In the hallway, Bokkun was screaming. And Cream was chasing after him. "Don't you DARE touch me!" Cream shouted as she chased him with a broom. "I thought you loved me!"

"I don't love you, Bokkun."

"What?!"

"I love Tails," Cream said audible enough only for Bokkun to hear.

"But..But you can't love him!"

"Yes, I can. And I do."

"But he is a fox! Foxes eat rabbits!"

"He loved a plant! And he didn't eat Cosmo."

Bokkun grew sad at this revelation. This soon gave way to anger. He walked to his room. Tails would pay for "stealing" Cream from him. Oh, God, he would…


	10. Chapter 10: Shadow's UAV Roundup

Chapter 10: Shadow's UAV Roundup

**Disclaimer: I cannot own Sonic.**

Shadow waited impatiently on the street corner. He was in the island district, leaning against a pole, looking and feeling annoyed. Shadow had a mission to do. What was Tails doing? He was probably busy sucking face with his new girlfriend, Cream, or something. Just as Shadow was about to leave, his communicator beeped. _Beep! Beep!_ Shadow answered. On the other end was Tails.

"Alright. We just caught a big break; one of the UAVs that have been circling in the sky has crashed near your position. I need you to get over to it and extract its memory card."

Shadow grunted. "Why don't you get Rouge to do it? She is used to this kind of thing."

"Rouge has something else to do. She is making contact with G.U.N."

"Why?"

"Just do what I'm asking you to do."

Shadow then moved off to the coordinates of the drone. He reached the harbor and found the drone on a pontoon. He went over to the large, downed bird-like machine and opened its back container. Inside, he extracted a card that was as big as a tack. He inserted it into his communicator.

Shadow waited for a few moments and then Tails spoke again. "It's just as I thought; the Conclave is using spy drones to search for the Master emerald."

"They know anything we don't?" asked Shadow.

"They don't seem to, but I'm not sure. We need more information. I'm sending you the coordinates for three other UAVs that are sweeping the area."

"Got it."

"Oh, and Shadow? That drone was programmed to self-destruct a few minutes after crashing. I don't know why that one didn't, but be careful when dealing with the other drones."

Shadow raced off to find his first drone. He sped off to the southeast part of the city. He ran up a skyscraper and looked off in the distance for the drone. The view was beautiful. The entire city was revealed to Shadow. The monstrous city seemed to be only a small children's play model. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and Shadow saw someone painting an ultra-smiley face on one of the streets. But Shadow wasn't up there for sightseeing. He spotted the UAV. It circled a small outcropping of buildings, like a vulture circles a dying animal.

"Chaos SPEAR!" Shadow shouted. A large ray of energy shot out from Shadow's palm. The line of light continued until it struck the UAV in the center of the fuselage. The drone spiraled out of control and landed on a smaller building. "Chaos CONTROL!" Shadow shouted. He teleported to the site where the UAV was. He looked at the drone, and noticed it had graffiti writing that said _Kick Me._ _Idiots, _thought Shadow. He opened the lid of the drone and took out the card. He inserted it into his communicator. He sped off just as the drone self-destructed.

Shadow ran off to his next drone, which waited ever so patiently for him in the northwest corner of the city. But as he ran, his communicator signaled another call. He answered, "What now, Tails?" What happened next surprised Shadow. A gravelly voice came on.

"Not Tails, I think."

"Let me guess, you're that guy who stole the emeralds."

"Yes. And I have a name. It is Abraxis. And I want you, Shadow, to listen to something."

Over the communicator, Shadow heard a female voice call out: "Please! No more! I'll do anything you want!"

"You're a real tough guy, aren't you?" Shadow said sarcastically.

"Actually," said Abraxis, "I'm weak. Quite weak, in fact. That is why you and your friends need to learn this lesson. The only true acumen of strength is fortitude. What separates the strong and the weak are is the person's ability to take the beating. Heck, to _love _the beating. It is that measurement alone that determines if you are ready for what is coming."

"WHAT THE H3LL DO YOU MEAN?!" Shouted Shadow. He only heard the voice of Tails' little prank: "I'm sorry. You have exhausted your Miles-minutes, which allows you to receive outside calls that are not from communicators. To purchase more, press one." Shadow looked at the communicator and saw no 1 button. "(Bleep) you, Tails! (Bleep) you!" Shadow was angry. Who was this Abraxis guy?! Why was he so in your face?! And why was Tails running his own cell phone company?! And why is Shadow ranting?!

As these questions buzzed in Shadow's head like an angry wasp, he noticed that he had arrived at the destination. He looked up and saw the UAV. He shouted "Chaos SPEAR!" and shot another ray of energy at the drone. Another direct hit. But he noticed something. As the UAV spiraled, he noticed that under the plummeting aircraft was a group of children playing, watched by their mothers. Shadow had to act fast. He sprinted across the block and went into the playground. He shouted "Chaos SHEILD!" A large force field surrounded the area and the drone bounced harmlessly off of the shield. The children and mothers were oblivious to what was going on. Shadow raced to the UAV. Some of the children were looking at the aircraft, and their mothers were trying to get them away from it. Shadow opened the container and grabbed the memory card. He inserted it into his communicator and threw the UAV into the water. When it self-destructed, thousands of fish flew onto the land. Many fishermen were pleased.

Shadow raced off to the final drone, which was sequestered in the northeast corner. He scaled a huge skyscraper and gazed off into the sky. He saw the UAV, buzzing around aimlessly like a wanderer guided by whim. Shadow skewered the UAV, and he saw it head right toward him! "Oh, crap!" Said Shadow and he jumped off of the building. As he fell, he controlled his movements and landed without injury on the road. Many onlookers were stunned. "Whooooooooooooaaaaaaaa…" said a teenager, "Heheheheh. Rock ON freaky bro!" The crowd cheered at Shadow's amazing stunt. But Shadow had no time to bask in the crowd's cheers. He raced up the building and jumped at a high altitude. He got to the UAV and pilfered its memory card and jumped off of the building with no time to spare. He glided to a wire and grinded as he inserted the memory card into his communicator. "That's the last of them," said Shadow.

Tails radioed in. "Your communicator doesn't have a large enough bandwidth to transmit all of that data. You need to get to the satellite tower in the center of the district you are in and transmit the data there."

Shadow raced off to the tower there, the amazed crowd followed from behind. Shadow eventually got to the tower, but he noticed something unusual. A HUGE amount of Phantoms bearing and boasting weapons of all shapes and sizes, makes and models, were guarding it. Tails called, "Now you see why asked you to do this mission? You're the only person who could survive that."

Shadow then replied calmly and smugly, "Well, Tails, you have got the right hedgehog for the job."

Shadow raced to the Phantoms and used Chaos control. With time frozen, he acted quickly, dispatching a large amount of Phantoms. He then used Chaos punishment and he teleported all around the tower, kicking the foes down. He finished with Chaos blast, defeating the last two Phantoms. He then went up the tower and plugged his communicator in. "You should have everything now." Shadow said.

"It's going to take me hours to sift through all this data. Well done, Shadow."

Shadow looked at the crowd below. They all cheered and clapped. Normally, Shadow wasn't noticed by the people. But they watched him eagerly to see his next trick. Shadow sighed and pressed on for home.


	11. Chapter 11: Tower Power on the Bridge P1

Chapter 11: Tower Power on the Bridge (Part 1)

**Disclaimer: To say I own Sonic would leave me destitute and end my career in fan fiction writing. So I will say no.**

Everyone surrounded the coffee table in eager excitement. Tails had come up with a plan to take home three-count them- three Chaos emeralds and the Master emerald. Tails put a device on the table.

"Alright," began Tails with a smile on his face, "today, I think we should go on the offensive. After sifting through hours of UAV data, I have found something interesting. One UAV located three Chaos emeralds and the Master emerald."

Tails pressed a button on the device. It projected a 3-D map of the entire city. He pointed at a large structure in the center of the city.

"Here," said Tails "is where we'll find them. The Master emerald and the Chaos emeralds are located at the top. I'm not going to lie to you; it's going to be dangerous; the tower is heavily guarded by Phantoms. It's also where we'll find the leader of the Phantoms: a woman named Arvana, no last name. Until a few weeks ago, she was a high ranking member of the Conclave. She was their top studier of ESP. She spent these weeks using her massive ESP powers rallying the cities downtrodden into the Phantoms. Somehow, she has the Chaos emeralds. So if we go to the tower, we'll snag the Chaos emeralds and take down Arvana. Any questions?"

"Yes," said Vector, "if the Conclave knows she has the emeralds, won't they try and attack her?"

"Yes," answered Tails, "and that is why we need to act quickly. Anything else?"

Cream raised her hand.

"You don't need to raise your hand Cream."

"Where do babies come from?"

"Any questions about _this?_"

Cream lowered her hand.

"Okay," said Tails, "the tower is deep in Phantom territory. Only five of us can go. And three of the slots will be filled by Dr. Eggman, Chuck and I because Arvana has stored the Master emerald in a way that requires the three of us to work together to remove it."

A worried look spread across Cream's face. A pleased look spread across Bokkun's.

"I'll go," volunteered Knuckles, "you'll need muscle to take care of those guys. And I'm the best climber here."

"Yes, you've only fell off mountains and cliffs OVER 9000 times," jeered Rouge.

"Hey! I'm going too!" Said Sonic. "I'm tired of waiting here. Let's get a move on."

Tails, Dr. Eggman, Grandpa Thorndike, Knuckles and Sonic suited up for the attack. Sonic looked at his bag of suggested supplies and laughed at it. He was Sonic the hedgehog; nothing could stop him when he was on a roll.

Tails took out his toolbox and working gloves. Out of the toolbox dropped a photo. Tails looked at it. It was an old picture he had taken with him and Cosmo. He knew if he failed today, he would be with Cosmo almost instantly. Tails held back his tears. The thought of being united with Cosmo no longer entranced him. He had to be strong and fight and win for, everyone. He had to be for Cosmo, for Sonic, for Knuckles, for Chris, for…for Cream. He mouthed the words, "Cream…I love you. Cosmo, please forgive me." He put the picture away. In the picture, Cosmo smiled, as if enjoying the words Tails said.

Dr. Eggman got his gear on. He flexed in various poses in front of the mirror, with Decoe taking pictures. Decoe shouted "This'll make great blackmail!" Dr. Eggman became very angry and chased the robot. He caught up and destroyed the camera.

Grandpa Thorndike got his own tool box and was ready to head out.

Knuckles was in his room, gathering his things. He knew he was in for a tough fight. But he was used to this idea. He was ready to save the emeralds. He heard a voice. "Are you committed to this, then?" Knuckles turned around and saw Rouge who was leaning against the doorway. "Yes," answered Knuckles.

"You know, I think what you're doing is foolish-"

"Nobody asked you about what you think."

"-but I also think what you're doing is brave."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm just saying, you are risking your life for an oversized gem. But I would do the same thing."

"Only because you want to have it adorn your neck."

"I know, but you're doing something I'd never do."

"And that is?"

"Face a power-hungry gang leader and possibly fall off of thousand-foot tower made of garbage and toilet paper."

"Really? I thought you would have done the same thing."

"Why?"

"I hate to be the one saying this, but there was one thing I admired about you."

"And that is?"

"Well, you're just so driven, so ambitious, so…so…"

"Tough?"

"Yeah."

"Then why don't we spend some time together after all this is over?"

"Rouge! I admire you sometimes, but I don't-"

"Why not? You think we're different, but we're both the same. We like shiny things, we are tough…why not? Besides, if you go out with me, I won't be able to get out of your sight. This means I can't steal the Master emerald."

Rouge's logic made so much sense to Knuckles. "Okay," said Knuckles, "but you better not-"

Rouge went up to him and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Good luck, Knucklehead."

Knuckles almost fainted.

The party consisting of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Dr. Eggman and Grandpa Thorndike approached the large tower in the center of the city. The structure seemed to be made up of only garbage. Neon signs were hoisted three hundred feet up in the air; steel girders impaled the tower in every which way. Debris hung over the city, suspended by only a few wires.

"THIS is what you all had to build?" Asked Tails.

"Yep," answered Dr. Eggman, "I wanted to decorate it with my face on the top, but the philistines of the Phantoms said it wasn't bad(bleep) enough, or it was an eyesore. Can you believe that?"

"You have to admit," said Sonic, "you have a face even a mother could slug."

Dr. Eggman ignored Sonic's comment. They set to work. Knuckles took off his backpack. In it was a large inventory of climbing gear. Knuckles motioned to them and started placing the first few hooks on the wall. He ran a rope through the rings on the hooks. He tied the rope to each person's waist. Knuckles was the first to start climbing. He climbed nimbly across the rigidly flat garbage. The others soon followed.

Scaling the tower was, by no means, an enjoyable pastime. The very content of the tower proved hazardous. All that kept a sign hugging to the frame of the tower was either a few thin wires or a splotch of super glue. The garbage was quite loose and infirm; unlike the steady rocks of the mountains Sonic, Knuckles and the rest were used to. Many times, one member of the party had almost plummeted to their doom after holding onto a dislodged trash can or a neon sign. The smell of all the garbage and scrap metal was enough to offend the sense and cause brain damage. The very flatness of the tower was almost impossible to ascend. Mountain and rock climbers know that to scale a cliff, one would either need to traverse quickly or find suitable foot holding. The tower, with its aforementioned loose garbage, had no good foot holding; Sonic and his friends needed to be fast. But with the fetid stench of rotten eggs assaulting their noses, they often had to stop for a breather.

In spite of all this, Sonic and the party pressed on. As they were climbing, Dr. Eggman pointed something out. "Look!" He cried. He pointed to a large platform, almost at the top of the tower.

"We can rest there," said Tails breathlessly, "we still have a long way to go."

The party scaled up to the platform. Sonic raced up and helped the rest climb onto the platform. The entire party collapsed, tired and thirsty. Sonic took a sip of the water bottle, and passed it on to Tails, then Knuckles, then Grandpa Thorndike and the Dr. Eggman. Grandpa Thorndike looked invigorated. "Yes! I haven't been on a good climb like that in years!" He exclaimed.

His excitement was cut short by the sound of shotguns loading. The party turned around and saw five Phantoms and their leader, Arvana.

"Hello, meat," said Arvana.

"You must be Arvana," Tails said.

A Phantom looked at Tails. "You DARE speak her name and bring YOUR FACE to our lair?! YOU MUST DI-"

"Hold your peace!" Commanded Arvana. She looked at Tails.

"Yes, I am her. And you must be Miles 'Tails' Prower. You have done well, thus far. You have been through a lot in the past few weeks. The death of a lover, the failure to save an entire race, the confusion of who you love…You are weak. But you have been able to find the emeralds. My hat is off for you. But unfortunately, nobody's stealing a damn thing from me." Arvana glared at Tails, cruelly smiling. "You know, I don't play well with others. Especially those who steal from me. But I can play nice with you, Tails, and only you, because you amuse me. See, you can loathe me all you want, but it doesn't change the fact I'm better than you; some fox who can't decide how he feels about a little rabbit half of the time."

"Don't you DARE talk that way about Cream! Anyway, how do you know about them, about us, about me?" Said Tails.

"Psychic powers. Don't you all look at me so surprised; Tails said it himself. Until a few weeks ago, I was a high-ranking member, a researcher, for that filthy, imperialistic Conclave. I know all of you; I know you all better than you know yourselves. And not only that, my informant knows you all well."

Sonic was stunned. There was a spy amongst them. A fury arose in him like a fire. He wanted to know who was ratting them out and who was spying on his best friend Tails. He know there could be only one person who would be so dirty and underhanded. "EGGMAN!" Yelled Sonic.

"No," said Arvana, bored, "my informant isn't the fat man."

"Then who is it?" Inquired Tails.

"I won't tell you," said Arvana, "that'd be too easy. But I will give you a hint. He hates you for "stealing" the only girl he ever loved."

Sonic and his friends had no idea about who the person could be. Arvana said, "You don't know, do you? Well, too bad. You are all going to die here, without finding out." She turned to the Phantoms. "Phantoms! Get rid of these pieces of dog feces."

Sonic and Knuckles rushed the Phantoms, defeating them swiftly, while the rest went to unhinge the Master emerald. All the while a helicopter was circling the tower. Sonic and Knuckles fought wave after wave of Phantoms. Eventually, no more came. But, they felt a wave of force hit them. Sonic looked and saw the dreaded trucker hat of doom. "You like hat-based henchmen doing your dirty work, don't you?" Asked Sonic.

"Yep." Responded Arvana. "And soon, you will be defeated, and the tower shall be complete. My lovely, slender and fragile physique will be replaced with stone and steel. And I shall rule and empire from this throne until the end of times."

Knuckles punched the hat. "You're crazy, you know that?" He said.

"Oh, you say that like it's a bad thing."

Sonic and Knuckles defeated the trucker hat of doom. The helicopter, which had been circling had landed and dropped off someone. It was Abraxis.

"Abraxis!" Yelled Arvana. "You boor! You cad! You yokel! You DARE come here?!"

Abraxis just walked up to her. "I simply could not resist you anymore, my beautiful grey maiden." He said with a cruel and jesting smile.

"Tell it to some other woman! I used to love you, but I should have known you were nothing but a boy in men's clothing!"

Sonic hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. Did the man that made off with the Chaos emeralds just come here to pick up an ex-girlfriend?

"If it is true," said Abraxis, "and you don't love me, then give me back the necklace. I'm sure you wouldn't want such a filthy symbol of hateful love to adorn your neck."

"No! It's mine!"

"Don't be all possessive. I just came to settle custody." Abraxis rushed at Tails to rip him away from the Master emerald. But another flash knocked Abraxis down. Tails saw the person. She was the fortuneteller, Daschniiya. But she wasn't wearing her hat. What they all saw amazed them: two bloomed rose buds were on her head.

Abraxis began to attack Daschniiya, Sonic and Knuckles attacked Arvana and Tails, Dr. Eggman and Grandpa Thorndike tried to loosen the Master emerald from its bearings.

Abraxis generated a sword from nowhere and charged at Daschniiya. The swords clashed with an audible clang and they began to fight. Abraxis attacked with large, sweeping arks and managed to push Daschniiya back, giving her a few cuts and gashes here and there. She retaliated with a spin and broke Abraxis's sword. He then charged, opened his palm and palmed her in the stomach. She went flying backwards, and plummeted off of the tower.

Sonic and Knuckles charged at Arvana. She quickly rose out of her throne and touched her temples. Sonic and Knuckles' vision grew hazy, as if a large fog rolled in. The world seemed to grow and flash red. Sonic and Knuckles couldn't do anything. Arvana took out a knife and tried to swipe at them. Sonic and Knuckles dodged whenever they could. They imagined that more Phantoms crawled over the towers and jumped down to fight them. Sonic and Knuckles were about to jump off when they were both seized by something. They both broke out of their trance and saw Tails was holding them over a 10,000 foot drop.

"Are you both crazy?!" Cried Tails.

"I felt like I just ate something odd," said Sonic.

"You are always odd," said Knuckles.

Grandpa Thorndike went to help Tails haul Sonic and Knuckles over the edge of the platform. Only Dr. Eggman was left unhinging the Master emerald.

"I need help," called out Dr. Eggman, "it won't budge!"

Abraxis and Arvana converged on Dr. Eggman; both were intent on ripping the Master emerald free. Sonic saw this and yelled with whatever energy he had remaining.

"Dr. Eggman! Get out of there!"

Dr. Eggman grunted and yelled as he clutched the emerald in his hands. He pulled with all of his strength. He put up his legs against the wall and yanked the emerald once more with desperation. The emerald popped out of its socket, sending Eggman flying. He stood up, aching, and held the emerald. He then saw that he was caught between Arvana and Abraxis. Sonic and his friends yelled at Eggman to get out of there. But Eggman was petrified like a statue.

Dr. Eggman then realized something. He realized that he had the most powerful gem in the universe! And what does he do? He makes the decision to activate it, in the hope of defeating the two foes with its awesome power. But the Master emerald made a farting sound and dimmed. Nobody knew what was going on. Only Abraxis understood what happened.

"Hehehe," cackled Abraxis, "you know why it didn't work?"

Dr. Eggman shook his head.

"Well, I do. Come with me on my helicopter. I'll help you understand why it didn't work. And I have plenty of artifacts that measure up to the Master emerald." Abraxis looked at Dr. Eggman. "They'll be yours if you join me."

Then Eggman replied, "Will there be chicken nuggets?"

Abraxis gave Eggman an odd look and said, "Yes, there will be chicken nuggets."

"Yayz! :D"

Sonic knew what was going on. Abraxis was playing on Dr. Eggman's lust for power. Dr. Eggman took one last look at his comrades. Then, he took off with Abraxis with the Master emerald. Arvana yelled and screamed and cursed. Sonic and his friends were dumbfounded. Why would Dr. Eggman betray them? That was the last thing any of them remembered when the tower fell apart and an iron beam fell. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Grandpa Thorndike barely felt the impact.

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 12:Tower Power on the Bridge P2

Chapter 12: Tower Power on the Bridge Part 2

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Sonic.**

Sonic's eyes opened and he felt the pain surge through his body. He coughed and hacked with violet force. He spat something onto his palm and saw a red liquid. It wasn't blood; it was tomato juice. Sonic sighed in disgust. He wiped his hand on his chest. He tried to recall what happened. But his memory was wiped clean; he only remembered that he went to scale the Phantom tower, and he couldn't remember anything afterwards. He looked in the direction of the tower. He saw the beautiful night sky; unmolested by the presence of the abominable piece of architecture. Suddenly, Sonic remembered everything. And he was left fearful. He dug in the rubble quickly, tearing up gravel and cement.

"Tails!" Sonic called out, "Little bro! Can you hear me? Where are you?!"

Sonic clawed desperately into the debris, throwing dirt and rock into the air. Sweat rolled down his head and soil covered Sonic's face. He had kneeled down into the dirt. He was defeated; Abraxis made off with the Master emerald, and Sonic lost Tails. Tails was like a little brother to Sonic, and he couldn't stand the thought of Tails being buried in the desecrated tower. Sonic sighed.

"Uh, Sonic?" A voice asked. It couldn't be…! But it was…!

Sonic spun around in place, and he saw Tails, his face caked in rubble, his fur turned dark brown from lying amongst the rocks all of those hours. Sonic gave an exasperated smile.

"Don't scare me like that, Tails," said Sonic.

"Sorry, but I thought you might want your nerves tensed up for a little bit."

"Where are the others?"

"They're half-way across this giant spot of rubble. I went back to try and find you."

"Well, let's go then! Wouldn't want to keep 'em waiting, right?"

Sonic and Tails raced across the debris. Tails' tails propelled him forward at breakneck speed. He flew across scraps of metal and cement. Sonic's feet made a strong drumming sound as he raced across the sheets of metal and the remains of advertisements. Even though the cool night air rushed into their faces, Sonic and Tails felt hot and sluggish as they ran. A pain swelled in their legs and lungs as they ran, but both pressed on.

Eventually, Sonic and Tails reached the outer most ring of debris and walked on solid ground in a few minutes. They stopped running. Knees bent, breathing heavily, Sonic and Tails were bent over and gasped to catch their breath. The pain in their legs and lungs subsided and they stood erect once again. Sonic put his hands on his back and straitened himself. Tails let his tails fan himself.

"Whew!" Said Sonic, "We need to stop smoking, Tails!"

"But we don't smoke."

"It was a joke."

"Sonic!" A voice sounded.

Sonic turned around. He saw Knuckles, Grandpa Thorndike and a woman he never met before. All of them looked grimy and sweaty. Their eyes tried to muster the signature glow of a smile, but they only brought up the thin cloak with which one hides their sullen disappointment.

"Wasn't sure you were going to make it," said Knuckles.

"Only because you didn't go with Tails to find me," said Sonic. He looked at the woman and he remembered her. She had saved Tails from Abraxis.

"And who are you?" Sonic asked.

"I am Daschniiya," responded the woman.

"Thanks for saving my friend here," said Sonic, "but why did you do it?"

"Let's just say that I have an avid interest in you and your friends' safety."

"But aren't you that fortune teller?" Said Tails, "And how did you survive the fall?"

"The what?"

"When you fell off of a thousand foot tower…How did you survive?"

"Why are you asking me all of these questions? I just saved all of you. It is proper to thank someone with questions."

"And why are you a Seedrian?" Knuckles asked.

Daschniiya's eyes grew wide with surprise. She looked at her hat, which sat on her forehead. Did they see her secret? They couldn't have! They must not have!

"Look," said Daschniiya, "I can answer all of your questions in due time. But we must first worry about Abraxis and Arvana. Why did you all bring your friend that looks like what I had for breakfast? You should have brought someone who you all could trust!"

"First," said Sonic, "Egghead's not our friend. Second, we needed him; Tails and Grandpa Thorndike couldn't have gotten the emerald out of its socket without his help. And third, we are all done chasing after this madman."

The others stared at Sonic. "I'm starting to think that whatever's going on is not our problem. We should just let Abraxis and Arvana have at it, and then deal with whoever's left."

Daschniiya then replied, "What if one of them activates the Master emerald in the fight? Millions of innocent people could die!"

Sonic then said, "Fine. But we don't even know where they are. They could be on the moon, or in the ocean!" Sonic shuddered at the last place he listed. Water, and so much of it. He imagined his and his friends' oxygen-deprived bodies floating down to the sea floor and pressing against the mud.

"Arvana is at the bridge that connects this half of the city to the other half," said Grandpa Thorndike.

"Then you all have to get back to the mansion," answered Sonic, "I'll go after Arvana."

The group began to protest, but Sonic sped off before the others could formulate their sentences. Sonic ran down the street at breakneck speed. He ran passed people, the wind generated from his running knocking them to the ground. Sonic sped across the maze of streets and alleyways, searching for the bridge. The pain in his legs dulled from a sharp edge to a slight moan. It was great to run again.

He finally came across the bridge. An ominous fog surrounded the ornate and old bridge as he walked down the pathway. His ears tensed at every sound. He heard the voices of the Phantoms. He could feel his heart beat against his chest, swelling and deflating like a balloon. He was sweating from both the running and the creepy air all around him. He was experiencing terror. He only felt it one other time: when he was about to face Dark Oak.

He heard the stomping of feat behind him. He whirled around and saw Phantoms wielding knives. He punched them off of the bridge. He walked slowly down the path; as if afraid the bridge would crumble if he made the slightest sound. He walked past cars that were abandoned for weeks and were on fire. He came across a huge gap in the bridge. He decided to run on top of the beams that held the bridge. Using his amazing parkour skills (which he never knew he had!) he scrambled up the beam. He reached the tip of the beam. He scanned the foggy horizon. Sonic was in luck. The beams were connected by girders that lay on the top of the structure. Sonic's only way across the gap was to traverse the girders.

He took his first step mildly on the girder, like an infant takes its first step carefully. He walked quickly across the girders, but he felt his weight shift. He fell off of the beam, and caught onto the underside of the beam. He hoisted himself up, and walked much more slowly. He outstretched his arms and used them to balance. His feet moved dancingly across the beam, and made it to a platform in the middle of the beam. From there, the beam split into three different directions. Sonic decided to pick the path in the fork like he always did:

"Eenie, meanie, minie, moe, catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers, let him go, eenie, meanie minie moe!"

His finger landed on the leftmost path. Sonic proceeded along the path, and reached a car in the middle of the beam. _If you are going to fail, at least fail in such a way that makes people wonder how you did that, _thought Sonic. He stepped on the car. Suddenly, Sonic heard a _whoosh!_ sound. He ducked, and saw a huge semi fly over him. He heard Arvana's voice in his head. "I know you're back there, Sonic! I smell your horrible odor, I can feel you in the air!"

Sonic took this opportunity to spray his armpits with deodorant. He looked down, and saw that he had reached the other side of the bridge. He jumped down, and he saw Arvana.

"Hold it Arvana!"

Arvana raised her hands and metal swirled around her. The metal formed and stretched into arms, legs, a torso, hands and feet. A huge demented human formed out of all of the scrap metal, with Arvana in the center of the mouth. Arvana radiated with yellow energy.

"Oh crud!" Shouted Sonic.

"Worthless piece of vile sputum!" Yelled Arvana. Her tone lost its metal and sound sad and pained. "This is what I want! To govern the entire universe as I harangue the multitudes! You, Sonic, are just like Abraxis! Craving what doesn't belong to you! And now you'll pay!"

The huge golem swung its arm. Sonic rolled out of the way. Sonic leaped at Arvana and spun into her. The golem's hands caught Sonic and flung him across the platform. Sonic hit his head. He got up and ran in a zigzag pattern to dodge a large spray of garbage. He spun into Arvana again. This time, Sonic struck Arvana. She groaned and the golem slumped to the floor. Waves of trucker hats of doom flew out from the golem and attacked Sonic. He destroyed them with a homing attack, but one hit him with a wave of force. He sprung back on the platform. He dodged huge katamaris of metal as the golem hurled them at tremendous force. Sonic spun once again into Arvana. "Nooooo!" She cried, "You can't do this! This is my birthright! My destiny-y-y-y-y-y!" Sonic repeated the onslaught. The golem fell apart and Arvana fell to her knees "That's it!" Arvana shouted, "I'll do away with you, your vile friends and your thief of a friend!" Sonic just looked at Arvana. She was no longer a threat. She was just a deranged person, howling on about her destiny and her revenge against "that backstabbing, cheating, good-for-nothing" ex-boyfriend. Sonic approached her. Arvana stared at Sonic in fear. "Wait!" Arvana beseeched, "don't kill me! Let me join you against Abraxis! You can't take him on by yourself."

"That's what friends are for," replied Sonic, "to help each other out."

"But he'll kill you all! I know him. I worked with him. Heck, I _dated _him."

"Well then, you didn't have to attack us. Like I tell ol' egghead, 'If you played nice for a change, maybe I wouldn't have to break your toys.'"

Suddenly, Arvana, knife drawn, charged at Sonic. Sonic dodged and watched her fall off of the bridge. He saw her glide across the ocean, skimming the surface with her robes. Sonic knew he would see her again. At any rate, he noticed she didn't have her necklace with her. Sonic walked over to the golem and took the necklace. Five emeralds down, three more to go.

Sonic walked through the ornate gates of the bridge. He had no immediate contact with his friends. He was all alone on the other side of the city. And Sonic knew things would start to heat up…

**Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. School has been keeping me busy. Just to let you all know, don't expect another chapter until late Friday or early Saturday.**


	13. Chapter 13:The Price is WRONG with the C

Chapter 13: The Price is WRONG with the Conclave

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic. Why would I own Sonic?**

Sonic walked away from the bridge; the Chaos emerald necklace slung over his shoulders like a sash. He looked at the district for a brief moment, and he would not look away.

The entire district looked like a painting. The buildings were crafted in a grand and ornate style; resembling the art styles of past art movements. Some were built to match a neo-classical style; others resembled the work of artists who loved impressionism and cubism. Museums and city government buildings were adorned with gargoyles and angels. Marble columns supported the buildings with strength and beauty. Gold and silver were crafted and etched into the stones like paint on a canvas. The signs were stylized in seemingly any font made. The roads were paved to the point where if one touched the road, it would be as soft as a baby's skin. A large fountain was in the middle of a large children's park. People passed along with large bags of clothes and possessions. It seemed as if the problems in the city had not reached this district.

Sonic was awestruck. He felt as if he were in a dream. But he was quite suddenly brought to reality. _Beep! Beep!_ Sonic looked at his communicator. Tails' face appeared on the small screen.

"Sonic! Come in, Sonic," called Tails.

"Sonic's pizza parlor. May I take your order?"

"Hi Sonic. Did you defeat Arvana?"

"Yep. She was a piece of cake."

"Phew! I would never have forgiven myself if something happened to you. Did you get the Chaos emeralds?"

"Yes, and I hit the jackpot!" Sonic held his three Chaos emeralds to the screen.

"Great! And the rest of us found out who Arvana's informant was."

"Who was it?"

"It was Bokkun. Can you believe that?"

"Yeah I can. He worked with Eggman. Betrayal was probably the first program Dr. Eggman inserted in his head."

"Well, I wouldn't be too hard on Bokkun…yet. Anyway, where are you? My scanners can't pick up your signal; there is some sort of interference."

"I think I'm in the snob district."

"The cultural district? Sonic, don't freak out, but you just entered Conclave territory." Sonic looked at his surroundings and saw the emblems of the Conclave: a large circle with a triangle in the center, with an arrow piercing the triangle in the center.

"You need to go to the southern end of the district and lower the bridge, so that the others can get across. We'll find a new base in the district."

Sonic ran to the south. He made sure to stay hidden in the shadows. He knocked over a few people and objects, but he remained out of sight. Eventually, he found a broken bridge held up away from the other end. Sonic ran to the controls and pressed every button he saw. The bridges groaned and fell. They snapped back into place, and people began to cross.

"Good job, Sonic," commented Tails, "now I'll help the rest of us get over and-"

The communicator started to give loud static and the screen faded in and out of darkness. The communicator made a high-pitched wining and beeping sound. Sonic covered his ears. The technological cacophony stopped and a message appeared on the screen. It showed the Conclave's symbol and text reading: _Your message has been interrupted by the Conclave (pwned!)_. A new face appeared on the communicator. It was Abraxis!

"Abraxis?!" Said Sonic in shock.

"Hello, Sonic," replied Abraxis, "it is nice to see you too."

"What happened to Tails?! Where are the emeralds?!"

"Calm down; Tails is safe, I just jacked the line. And I'm not telling you where the emeralds are; that'd be too easy. I'd like to thank you for chasing off my ex."

"I don't care about what I did to your ex! What are you doing, anyway?"

"Ever the impertinent Sonic; that's the hedgehog I once knew. You see, you have defeated foes that have wiped out GUN troops for weeks. But I still don't think you are ready for what is coming. Have you ever heard of 'natural selection'? It is the process by which those heritable traits that make it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce and become more common in a population over successive generations. It is a key mechanism of evolution. And I'm going to apply that process to you. Evolve or die, as they say."

Sonic saw three figures appear on the bridge. He thought they were his friends. He shouted out to them, but drew no attention. He then saw who they were. The three wore black and grey trench coats. They wore black boots and matching trousers and shirts. They wore bangles that brandished the Conclave symbol. They had on gas masks that covered their entire face, and were hooked up to a breathing apparatus on their back. Two of the Conclave members brandished TMPs. They were 5-foot-6. The other one, who was 5-foot-9, had no weapon. He wore a grey robe and a belt. He had no mask on. His face was scarred and his face looked like Arvana's, only manlier. He raised his hands, and grew up to ten times his size. The others charged at Sonic. "These are Conclave footmen and a Conclave erudite. Have fun." Said Abraxis.

Sonic charged at the footmen, who had opened fire. Sonic dodged the projectiles and knocked them over the bridge. The erudite came stomping after Sonic. Sonic ran ahead of the giant to avoid becoming a pancake. The giant knocked over everything in his path, and swiped at Sonic. Sonic dodged, and he had to attack. He punched the giant, but the erudite just kicked him. Sonic fell back, winded. He saw the erudite raise his foot to stomp Sonic into the ground. The foot came crashing down. The erudite cheered. His joy gave way to pain, as he bent over and found Sonic inserting a tack into his foot. The erudite screamed and deflated. Sonic went over to the erudite. The latter chuckled nervously and blasted Sonic back with a wave of force. The erudite ran into the ocean, screaming.

Sonic sighed. His communicator beeped again. Sonic answered it and found Abraxis laughing. "Well done! See? I'm not such a bad man! I provide you with entertainment."

"Oh, pish, that wasn't entertaining. It was barely filler."

"Oh, really? Then let's see some quality entertainment. You see, I have planted several mines around the district. Near the mines are innocent people. You need to disarm them all in a timely fashion. If you don't, those people will die. And make it spectacular! After all, I'm not the only one watching. A fan of yours is just _dying_ to see you perform."

A voice sounded on the communicator. It belonged to a female. _She sounds so familiar,_ thought Sonic. Then, he recognized the voice. It was Amy. "Sonic!" Amy cried in fear.

"Amy!" Cried Sonic.

"You know how much your girlfriend wants to see you in action. She will _die _if you don't go out, and she will _die _if you fail. You have thirty seconds to disarm the mines. So hop to it, performer."

Sonic ran down the street. It was now swarming with Conclave goons. He had no time to defeat them all. He ran around them, dodging and weaving. He found the first mine: a large TV that was rick-rolling three pedestrians. "No!" Cried Sonic, "they are suffering an epic fail!" He unplugged the TV and started breathing into the mouth of one of the pedestrians. "Breathe, darn it!" Shouted Sonic. The pedestrians were revived. "Three people saved, Sonic. How about the others…?" Asked Abraxis.

Sonic ran past more Conclave members. The brandished weapons of all makes and models. He also dodged more erudites, who wielded vast psychic powers. He found the next mine: a monitor displaying Weegee prominently in an alleyway. He drained the mine of all its power. "Six people saved," commented Abraxis, "but I wonder: are you doing this to save the pedestrians, or are you doing it to save Amy?"

Sonic ran to the third mine. This time, it was an actual mine. It was a fission mine. Sonic dodged and weaved through the people and Conclave members in the park. He drained the mine of its power. "Nine people saved. Tick-tock, Sonic, the last mine is waiting…"

Sonic ran into the art gallery. He was just about to make it inside, but he was stopped by security. "Sorry, sir," said the guard as he sipped his coffee, "but you need an invitation to get in."

"I don't have time for this!" Yelled Sonic. He ran toward the guard and punched him in the nether regions. "Oh my…" said the guard in a high pitched voice as he held his hands to cover a dark spot on his pants. Sonic hopped over the guard and ran into the gallery. He found the mine: a horrible painting of someone's underwear. Sonic tore through it and pulled its wires. "Now out to the square!" Screeched Abraxis like a harpy. "Double time, performer!"

Sonic ran out to the district square. He looked at his communicator. He saw Abraxis smirking, revealing white and shiny teeth. He bore them as if he were looking for a fight.

"What now?" Asked a peeved Sonic.

"There are two towers on the opposite ends of this district; one at the northwest and one at the southeast. The tower at the northwest has 15 people trapped there; seven are doctors, five are nurses and three are paramedics. Think of all the good they can do, all of the lives they can save. The tower at the southeast has one person: Amy Rose, the love of your life. You have time to rescue one tower, not both. Take no action, and both towers will explode."

Sonic looked off in both directions. There were no Conclave members. He knew he loved Amy, but he knew the medical personnel could save thousands of lives. "I'm sorry, Amy," said Sonic. With a tear in his eye, he rushed to the northwest.

He arrived at the tower and saw the fifteen figures hanging from the tower by their legs. Sonic forced himself to run up the tower. On the roof, all of the people turned around and pleaded for their release with their eyes. Sonic said, "Don't worry; I'm here to rescue you all." He saw the crane controls that suspended them and operated it. He brought them all onto the roof and freed them. The people thanked Sonic as he cut them loose. Sonic then ran to the southeast. He thought that if he was fast enough, he could save Amy. But he knew Abraxis was serious. Amy was cut loose by a Conclave member, and Amy fell to the ground. Sonic knew Amy had only one chance. Sonic had never used the technique to teleport himself to another location, but he had to try, for Amy's sake. Sonic took out the emeralds and yelled "Chaos Control!" Sonic saw the entire world freeze dead in their tracks. He ran as fast as he could, and he arrived at the tower. He saw Amy float in mid-air as she was falling. Sonic pulled Amy out of the air as time resumed for the entire world. Amy was caught by Sonic.

"Darn," mumbled Abraxis as he buried his face in his palms, "I thought you didn't know how to do that. Well, I'm tired and going to bed."

Sonic shut off the communicator. He looked at Amy, who was curled in his arms. She got out of his arms. She then slapped Sonic across the face with the palm of her right hand.

"That's for chasing after some whacko and letting me be kidnapped for the umpteenth time!" Amy lowered her voice and put her left hand on Sonic's cheek. "And this," said Amy, "is for saving me and those other people." Sonic wrapped his arms around Amy's hips and they both shared a kiss.

Sonic's communicator beeped. He looked at it and saw Tails' face.

"Finally! The line's no longer jacked."

"Good to see you Tails," said Amy, "but could you not call when Sonic and I are together?"

"Sorry Amy, but this is kind of important. I have gotten the team over to the district and we are going to our current position. There, we will try to find a place to stay for the night."

"Good," said Sonic, "I'm tired. But can Amy and I have some alone time?"

"Uh, sure," said Tails.

Sonic and Amy looked at each other. Their hands extended to each other and they clasped each other's hand, as if afraid it would fly away. They looked at each other and tried to see into each other's eyes, and blushed. They saw the future. And they left for a walk in the park.

Abraxis was fuming. He went into the meeting room of the Conclave with a horrible scowl. If looks could kill, everyone would be dead. He yelled, "Because Sonic somehow cheated my test you all flunk!" He heard several murmurs of disapproval. "And that means no medals today!" A Conclave member screamed and cried as he was wrestling Abraxis for the medal. "Let go you pollywog…" Abraxis threatened as he ripped the medal from the person's hands. "There! Now get my Sonic punching bag!" He left the meeting room with a hard face and fiery heart. He stormed into the gym and tore apart a punching bag that looked just like Sonic. He went into his quarters and took of his robe, revealing his well-muscled body in boxers. He sighed as he rubbed his aching body. He rubbed his eight-pack and his pecks briskly with an ointment. He brushed his teeth and hopped into his bed. He pulled a framed photo up to his face. He looked at it with love and sadness.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?"

The photo said nothing.

"Look, I know what I'm doing is evil…"

The photo said nothing.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm want to make sure you are safe."

The photo, again, said nothing.

"You know what I'm keeping you safe from. You're the only person who matters to me. I love you, and would do anything to protect you."

Again, the photo said nothing.

"I understand. I'm sorry about what I did to you back at the tower of junk."

(Nothing) said the Photo.

"Look, Arvana was just an attempt to go back to the good side. Things didn't work out. And I got stuck here."

The photo made no sound.

"Do you still love me?"

The photo was absolutely still.

"I love you, too, honey." Abraxis kissed the photo and went back to sleep. The photo was of a woman who was holding hands with a man who looked almost like Abraxis. She looked like a Seedrian…or a plant…I don't know…


	14. Chapter 14: The Day Tails Ate at Subway1

Chapter 14: The Day Tails Ate at Subway Part 1

**Disclaimer: Sonic cannot be owned. It will end the world!!!**

Sonic and Amy woke up to the pitter-patter of rain droplets hitting the ground en masse. Sonic sat up and felt his back. It was knotted and hurt from sleeping on the cement patio in the park. Sonic turned his head to the right and saw Amy sleeping on the cement. Her hair covered her face as she laid belly-down on the cold, hard stone. She lay in such a position that it revealed her natural curves. She snored quietly and supported her head with her arms. _She looks cute when she's sleeping, _thought Sonic. He tried to get up to wake Amy up. When he stood up, pain surged through his legs and he clenched his teeth. He doubled over and seethed with a quiet moan. He felt like he was about to fall back down, this time, he wouldn't have to worry about the world. Ever.

Sonic felt something grasp his chest and pull him upright. He thought it was a Conclave member that slithered through the night to strike him when he was weak. He readied himself to spin around and nail the Conclave brute with a forceful right hook, but he stopped himself. The touch and feel of the hand was quite gentle and loving, yet very stern.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked.

Sonic opened his eyes and turned his head in a slow motion. He found himself staring into the green eyes of his fair pink maiden, Amy. Her eyes shown with the worried look of a lover caring for her other. He smiled at Amy and said, "Yeah, I'm okay, Ames." She wrapped her arm across Sonic's back and grabbed his armpit. With a slight jump, she hoisted Sonic up from his feeble position with little effort. Sonic's feet were fixed on the ground and he made himself walk. Amy grabbed an umbrella and clutched the lever. The umbrella flew open and provided instant cover from the torrent of water droplets. She began to walk, and Sonic followed her lead.

"Where are we going?" Inquired Sonic.

"We're going to see Tails," answered Amy as she stared straight ahead.

"But we don't know where he and the others are."

"Oh yes we do." Amy reached into the right pocket of her dress. She pulled out a small slip of paper. She unfolded the paper with her left hand and handed it to Sonic. It read: _Hi Mr. Sonic and Ms. Amy! We made it over to this district. And my gosh, it looks so pretty! We found a place to stay. Well, actually, my Tails found a place for us to stay. He is so responsible and mature, you know. Anyway, we're staying at a hotel Mr. Chris owns here. It's called the Piedmont and Crowns. _

_-Cream and Cheese_

_PS: Cheese says hi._

Sonic chuckled. "_My _Tails? Sounds like our little Cream is growing up in some odd ways."

"Oh c'mon," said Amy as she smiled at Sonic, "don't act like you didn't know this was coming."

"Well, they seem like they could make it work."

Amy nodded as they walked in the rain and streets. They both walked on in silence, as they let the sound of nature rule the city. It seemed as if the Conclave were transfixed by this sound. No matter how civilized one could be, nature will still rule them, through either shock or awe.

Suddenly, Amy grabbed Sonic and they fell into an alley. Before Sonic could yell for help, Sonic's mouth was grabbed by Amy. Sonic closed his eyes, waiting to feel his underpants ripped off and things to happen, but he opened his eyes. Out of the alley's opening corridor, he spied six Conclave troopers. Three were like the footmen he saw yesterday, but he noticed that two were wearing skin tight armor bearing the insignia like a piece of heraldry. They were lead by a female person who resembled the erudite Sonic saw. But she had on a more practical and decorated robe. On the robe was the insignia and the words _One mind, one body and one soul _written on the front and the word Elite Scribe written on the back. The guards wielded riot guns. The elite scribe had nothing save a mercenary's knife. As they marched, she said to the guards, "The rain and its sound is a beautiful thing. To the humans, the sound is a dirge that the clouds full of mournful spirits create in silent grieving. But to us Vodeiyanoi, it is a symphony of nature's greatest sounds and splendor." A guard raised his hand. "What, Ivi'r?" Asked the scribe. "Can I go to the bathroom?" "I told you to go when we were back at the base." "But I didn't need to use the bathroom then." "Fine." The soldiers marched at a brisker pace.

Sonic and Amy got up from the floor. Amy and Sonic ran to the Piedmont and Crowns.

The hotel was quite beautiful. The floors and walls were cut from marble. The mantel in the reception room was cut from marble as well. A fountain resembling the one in the park was in the room as well. A TV hung over the fireplace. The floor had Persian rugs laid out in neat rows. The fireplace was dimming as the last of its orange embers were dying out. The people in the hotel were chatting and joking amongst themselves in an attempt to forget the outside world. Sonic and Amy walked up to the elevator. Sonic pressed the button with the number 7 inscribed on it. They waited as elevator muzak floated and echoed in the elevator. Amy stood with her hands at her side. Sonic crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. When the elevator arrived at the floor, Sonic grabbed Amy's hand and ran to the room.

Sonic knocked on the door. He rapped on the door two times. The door opened and at the door was Rouge in a white towel with soap in her hair.

"So you finally decided to come, eh?" Said Rouge. "Unless you've brought more towels, you and your girlfriend aren't coming in."

"Well…err…" Said Sonic.

"Just kidding. Now get in. I don't want you staring."

They entered the large room with eleven beds total. The room resembled the reception room seven floors below. One the mantle were the five Chaos emeralds the gang had collected. As the door closed, Sonic heard a voice call out from behind, "Hi Sonic." Sonic turned around and couldn't believe who he saw. He saw Bokkun taped to the door by piles of silver duct tape. Sonic responded, "Hi." He then left and saw Tails, Cream, Shadow, Knuckles, Vector, Rouge, Decoe and Bocoe watching the TV. They all turned from the TV and greeted Sonic and Amy.

After the warm welcome, Tails said, "Okay, gather round, we have work to do."

"Aw," groaned Rouge, "can't we watch more of this show?"

"No," responded Tails, "Family Guy will still be there after we do today's mission. Now, gather round."

Everyone groaned, except for Shadow, Sonic, Knuckles, Cream and Vector, who were all happy to get back out on the field. Tails pulled out a recording machine and put it on the coffee table.

"We are up against a dangerous foe. These aren't just gangsters who rule the streets. The Conclave are highly armed, dangerous and disciplined to the point where one of their squads can best an entire company of GUN troops. Their like a military force. Mercenaries, even. If we are going to beat them and get at Abraxis, we need some intell. We are dealing with a clandestine group that's difficult to comprehend, let alone defeat. That's why I had Rouge contact GUN. We needed to find Topaz. Rouge tells me that Topaz's last assignment was to infiltrate the Conclave. She came back with this tape of all of Topaz's dead drops."

Tails stared at the device and pressed the play button with a sense of foreboding. The cassette began whirl and hum, and then it played its contents. Topaz's voice sounded on the cassette.

"Well, that's it. GUN has quarantined the entire city. And I'm stuck with the Conclave. I guess the only course of action here is to gather as much intell as possible."

"The Conclave is ruled by a man named Abraxis. He is fairly tall and well built. He has grey skin and onyx eyes. Veins seem to cover parts of his head, and red and black lightning races down his arms. The other members tell me he is a great leader and that he has ruled the Conclave for decades. He is a true believer and has an agenda. I think we may have to strike at him quickly."

"A woman called a scribe led me to a room to practice what she calls 'The Repairman'. She bound me to a chair with her ESP powers. She then grew to twice her size and started to slug me across the face. I felt like I was being hit with a bus over and over again. I squinted my eyes, pretending I was doing something with my mind. She laughed and looked me straight in the eye. She told me I had to grasp the movement and the feel of an action in order to use ESP. She then told me that if I couldn't do that, she'd beat the tar out of me. She then punched me so damn hard I blacked out."

"Woke up in the infirmary. I was in a cot, bandaged and hooked up to some IV fluids and machines I've never seen before. Other than a nurse, nobody sees me. I found out that I was hooked up to dopamine. So much for their medicine…"

"Background information: the members of the Conclave are of an alien race called the Vodeiyanoi. These are humans who have developed powerful psychic abilities and they have undergone a forced evolution process. They have grey skin, red eyes and grey hair. They are tall, slender and graceful. They are extremely intelligent. They live in a militaristic society ad they are highly imperialistic. They show a strong belief in the motives of imperialism, and they have a vast empire to affirm their dogma. The Conclave itself was developed for imperialistic purposes. A Conclave is a trading post, local government post, research facility, hospital and military base. I have a bad feeling about their presence here on Earth…"

"I was assigned to protect a high ranking researcher/ESP master (also known as a scribe) named Arvana. She looks like a honey pot, so I should be careful around her."

"Background information: the Conclave refers to their members differently depending on their vocation. For example, scientists and physicians are referred to as Scribes, ESP masters are called Erudites, soldiers are called Guards, and merchants are called…well merchants."

"Arvana and Abraxis have entered a romantic relationship today. They seem happy together. But I do notice that Arvana often mumbles to herself, saying things about how she doesn't understand why Abraxis has to be "different" or why he can't do as he's "told". It is obvious something is amiss about the normal dynamics of a relationship."

"Abraxis and Arvana had a public falling out today. I don't know what sparked it, but I do know it resulted in Arvana physically attacking Abraxis. It took me and twenty other people to pull her off of him. I was ordered to escort her off the premises. She cursed all of us, and threatened to have her revenge. If looks could kill, I'd be dead. I expect to be reassigned to Abraxis."

"For the past few weeks, the Conclave have been under attack by a group called the Phantoms, led by none other than Arvana. She has five Chaos emeralds, while we have two. Something's going on here, and I don't know what."

"The Conclave are suspicious of me. I think they might be on to me. I'll try to lay low for a while."

Tails turned off the tape. "And there's nothing more," Tails replied. "We need to find Topaz. Her life could be in danger."

"I agree," said Rouge, "we need to find her. I'm not letting her die at the hands of that Conclave."

"Glad you agree. Because I need to go find her."

Everyone jumped and yelled "WHAT?!" They all went to Tails and tried to convince him to reconsider. They had enough information from the tape, they said. But Tails stood firm on his decision. He laid out his plan in front of them.

"There is a subway system underneath the district. The Conclave have seized the trains and use it to store prisoners as collateral to keep the citizens of the Cultural district in line. I am confident that this is where Topaz is being held. I will go to the subway as an engineer hired by the Conclave to repair the train system. I will commandeer the train and escape with the prisoners. When I get to a safe zone, I will free them."

"But it's too dangerous!" Cried Sonic, "You won't survive!"

"I will. Don't worry."

Tails left and put on his disguise. He was dressed as a construction worker and had a fake ID issued by the Conclave to slip by the guards. He left toward the door with his tool box. Suddenly, he felt something yank on his collar, and he turned around. He saw Cream. She was on the verge of crying.

"No," she cried, "I won't let you go."

"Cream, I have to go."

"No you don't! You can stay here, where it is safe! Forget about the Conclave and Ms. Topaz! What about us? What about Mr. Sonic? What about Mr. Knuckles? _What about me??_"

Cream started crying and leaned her head on Tails' chest. He felt the warmth of the fresh tears stream down his torso. He heard Cream's breaking and shuddering cries. He nudged Cream off of his chest. He opened his arms and hugged Cream. She hugged back. He then let go of her, saying, "Don't worry Cream, I'll be back." And Tails left without another word. Amy led Cream to bed, while the others were flabbergasted.

_To be continued…_


	15. Chapter 15: The Day Tails Ate at Subway2

Chapter 15: The Day Tails Ate at Subway Part 2

**Disclaimer: Uh…I dunno…**

Tails sighed as he walked down the hallway of the hotel. He knew his friends stopped him for his well-being, but he felt he needed to care for their well-being. That meant going to the subway and freeing the prisoners. After all, who'd believe Sonic to be an engineer? Or Knuckles? Or Shadow? Or Vector? Or Cream? As he walked out the door of the hotel, staring straight ahead, he thought about her. He thought about how she cared for him during his five weakest weeks. He also thought about how she would enjoy herself around him, and would invite him to play with her, and to have tea, and so many other things. He even thought about what Cream had done just now; sobbing and letting hot tears stream down his chest.

Tails put those thoughts out of his mind. He was already out on the street, rain drops falling on his shoulders, pattering as they hit his hard hat. He shook his head. He grunted and moved down the street. People rushed pass him, running to find cover from the rain. Tails just moved forward at a constant pace. His mind drifted back to Cream. He thought about how it rained when a week had passed from defeating the Metarex. It rained and the god of lightning ruled the sky that day. He thought about how depressed and frightened he was. No one came to visit him. But Cream spent the entire day with him, trying to comfort him and get him to do various activities with her. When he refused, she would always make a cute, wide-eyed look. And on that day, she discovered that there was one way to make Tails smile: a nice raspberry in the chest and stomach areas would make him laugh and smile. He smiled at the thought of having another raspberry. He laughed.

Tails was knocked to the ground. He fell to the wet, cold ground as his tool box spilled its contents and his hard hat clanked as it hit the ground.

"Ow!" Cried Tails. He felt something grab him by the shirt, and he felt himself rising as his pants fell a little lower. He opened his eyes, and found himself staring into the glassy blue apertures of a Conclave guard.

"Watch where you're going!" Commanded the guard, "Do you want to party or something?"

"No," answered Tails in plain fear as he grasped the fist that held him like a child holds a toy, "I was searching for the subway."

The guard raised his other fist in a slow and intimidating manner. "I have work orders issued by the Conclave to repair the trains!" Cried Tails.

The guard lowered his fist and set Tails gently down on the wet pavement. "Then let's see your work ID."

Tails handed the fake ID to the guard. The guard swiped the card out of Tails' hands. The guard took out a device that looked akin to a scanner. He pressed a button on the scanner's grip and a red laser enveloped the card. A large projection appeared out of the top of the scanner. The guard touched the projection a few times, examining the projection in fervor. The guard handed the ID back to Tails.

"The subway is over at Van Somme and Crowlind, Mr. Greenfield." The guard starkly replied. He then left and disappeared in the rain.

Tails got up from the pavement, feeling his heart beat with incredible speed. His bones ached and complained feverishly. Every thought in his mind was racing about how close Tails was to being socked in the face. Every sense of logic told him to go back to the hotel. His mind and heart screamed the command at Tails, _Go back! This isn't worth it!_ But Tails shook his head, collected his things, and moved on to Van Somme and Crowlind.

At the street corner, Tails beheld the darkened entrance to the subway system. He gulped as he gazed into the darkened hallway. Darkness held a vague terror for Tails. He imagined that the worst sort of creatures became active at night. He descended the staircase. No light penetrated the darkness that surrounded Tails. He felt engulfed by the darkness. The sole thought in Tails' mind was about if someone extremely dangerous was twenty feet in front of him. And if something were to happen to him, nobody would ever find him. And he would lose love for a second time. _That'd never do, _thought Tails. He pulled out a flashlight and turned it on.

For the next few feet down, Tails saw only what he pointed at with his flashlight. But he began to see light at the end of the non-proverbial tunnel. He arrived at a dilapidated subway station. Lights flickered on and off and hung from the ceiling. The room was partially flooded from the raining. Turnstiles were damaged, often missing their bars, or were completely bare. Tails felt fear as he entered the lion's cave. He wanted to run back out, screaming. But he shook his head and moved on.

After minutes of walking, he finally reached the subway. The train was in perfect condition. The windows were boarded up and the doors were chained or welded shut. The entire train was motionless. And it was guarded by the Conclave, as the train bore the Conclave symbol and text under it, reading: _The Conclave's train. Property of the Conclave. Do not touch except for the Conclave. _Tails smiled as he gazed at the train. He walked toward it. But he noticed two guards were guarding the entrance to the cockpit. Tails attempted to sneak pass them as they held a conversation.

"Did you see the new Scribe that arrived at the Conclave last night?" A guard asked.

"Yes, I did. Aw, man, she's a babe."

"I know. She's totally hot. She can resuscitate me whenever she wants."

"You know, I'm having my checkup today. I can see if I can have her give me the checkup."

"Dude, you are one lucky guy…"

Tails was getting creeped out by the guards' discussion. He knew exactly what they were talking about. He tried to sneak past them, but he stepped on one of the many cans that lay strewn about the place. Tails fell to the ground and crashed chest first. He groaned loudly with pain. The guards heard the groan and rushed over to Tails. They both grabbed Tails' arm and lifted him up on his feet.

"Thanks," said Tails as he shook each of the guards' hands. He then made a break to the train, but he stopped. He heard the loading of rifles behind him. Tails raised his arms up and turned around slowly.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there little man. This train is off-limits to anyone but the Conclave. I suggest you turn around and leave before we shoot you." Said a guard.

Tails stammered as he answered, "B-b-b-b-but, I have work orders to repair the front end of the train."

The guards lowered their rifles for a moment. "O RLY? Then let's see some ID badges."

Tails handed his ID badge and went through the same process with the guard on the street. The guard handed Tails' ID back.

"Everything seems to be in order, Mr. Greenfield," said the guard with a smile. But his face had a serious expression eclipse the happier one. "But if you try anything funny…" The guard motioned his rifle to Tails' head, and then moved down to the ground. "You get me?"

"I understand," said Tails compliantly. Tails entered into the cockpit of the subway. He noticed that the pit was quite clean and functioned quite well. Tails' guess was that they maintained the train well, so that if the citizens launched an attempt to free the prisoners, they could simply move the train to another station. It was a good escape plan, but it will prove to work too well, as Tails would eagerly demonstrate. He walked over to the control panel. It was in fairly good condition. He noticed that some of the buttons were broken. He took out a few buttons from his pocket and replaced the buttons. He bent over and opened the hatch to the train's engine. He noticed that something shiny was connected to the engine. Tails donned sunglasses and discerned an odd shape in the engine. _It's a Chaos emerald! _Thought Tails. Not only would he free the prisoners, he would walk away with a Chaos emerald.

He took out an ignition key and inserted it into the train's start up panel. The train started up and started to move. Tails pulled up the microphone and spoke into it. "Just be calm in there."

"And we told you no funny business, Mr. Greenfield," a voice said. Tails turned around and saw the two guards. They held up their knives in an aggressive position, pointing them to Tails' eyes.

"Good thing we decided to change the time we would check on you. Now you will die."

The two guards ran toward Tails. He ran towards them, but slid under their legs, causing them to slide and crash onto the floor. Neither guard moved. Tails stopped at one station. He opened the subway door. He grabbed both guards by their collars and pulled them out into the station. He looked for some place to leave them. He spied an open locker and ran to it, dragging the guards like a child drags a blanket. He picked up the guards, then, with great effort and an audible grunt, he threw them into the locker. Tails breathed heavily. _Sonic and Knuckles make this look easy, _thought Tails. He lowered his breathing and tried to close the locker. He closed the locker, but i\the door swung open. He tried again. The door swung open once more. Tails slammed the door shut, and the door stood shut. Tails chuckled, but he heard something come from the stairwell.

"Hold a moment!"

"What now?"

"I heard something come from the lower levels."

"Oh you did not."

"Yes, I did."

"A few minutes ago, you told me you heard something. We went down there, and we found nothing. We're going to go down there again, and we'll find nothing."

Tails had to act quickly. He looked for any object he could find to hide behind. He saw nothing. Tails started to panic. He knew he would be discovered. Tails decided that the only hiding place was the subway train. He ran into the subway, closed the doors and barred them. He took out the ignition key. He hid under the control panel. He lowered his breathing.

"See? Nothing! We are wasting our time…Wait, what's the train doing here?"

"I told you I heard something!"

"The train's not supposed to be here. Let's go check it out."

Tails heard the footsteps of the approaching guards. He trembled as he heard their approaching stomps at the door.

"Hail, comrade!" Spoke one of the guards.

"H-h-hail," answered Tails.

"What is the train doing here?"

"Um, I'm an engineer working for the Conclave. I'm supposed to make sure the train is still operational."

"Well it does seem to work. Good lad. Now continue working."

Tails got up to drive away with the train. He peered out of the corner of his eye and saw the locker open and drop the other two guards. _Oh crud!_ Thought Tails with fear. A tensed look appeared on Tails' face. The other guards saw this, and looked in the direction Tails was staring in. They saw the guards and gave Tails a nasty look. They put two and two together.

Tails turned the train on and drove off quickly. The guards ran after him down the track, by the side of the train. Tails saw the guards raise their guns. Tails gasped, put the train on automatic mode, and ducked. Gunfire broke through the windshield and glass rained everywhere. Tails had to act fast, or he would be one dead fox. He scanned the floor for anything to use against the guards. He saw an assault rifle, a force shield, a riot gun, a lead pipe and a potato. _Perfect! _Thought Tails as he reached for the potato. He etched a mark in the potato. He threw it out of the window. "Augh!" Cried a guard, "the engineer threw a grenade!" _Idiots, _thought Tails as he got up to see them run. He retook control of the panel. As he looked down the tunnel, he smiled. Everything was going his way.

Suddenly, a few bullets whizzed past Tails' face. He turned around and saw six guards on a lever cart. "We're going to (bleep) you, your wife and your daughters, Mr. Greenfield!" Screamed one of the guards. The other guards jumped onto the train's wall. Tails looked at the battery. He rearranged some wires. He pressed a button that said "Check Battery". Soon, the guards screamed. Tails saw blue streams of lightning stream across the guards, and they fell onto the track. Tails kept on trucking…err, training.

Tails heard his communicator beep. He pressed the green button as he saw more Conclave guards chase after the train. He saw Cream's sullen face on the communicator screen.

"Just so you know," explained Cream, "we've called in everyone who has someone in that train to the train station."

"What?" Asked Tails, "This place is dangerous! Get them to get out of the station!"

"It's too late Tails." The communicator shut off. Great. Now Tails had to defeat the Conclave. To make matters worse, he saw something up ahead. He saw it, and was horrified. He saw a mechanized road block, manned by two Erudites and Dr. Eggman.

"Hello, Tails," said Dr. Eggman, "I'm sorry, old chum, but I can't let you escape with that train."

Tails ducked as the Erudites started to lob various objects at him, like a toaster. He couldn't stop the train. Behind him was the Conclave guards and in front of him were the Erudites and Eggman. He had no choice, but to ram the block. He braced himself for impact, but no impact came. He looked out the window and saw the Erudites holding the train back with ESP. He knew he had to do something, or else the engine would overheat. He then looked at what he had. He had an assault rifle, a force shield, a riot gun, and a tomato. _Perfect, _thought Tails as he held the tomato. He chucked the tomato at one of the Erudites. "Augh!" Cried the Erudite as he fell over, trying to scrape the tomato from his eyes. The force holding the train back was so weak that the train broke free of the ESP hold and sped off at 100 MPH. Tails had only half a second to duck. The train burst through the blockade, causing the structure to become unstable. The entire blockade crumbled and sealed the path.

Tails sighed as he lay back in the chair. He never had to deal with anything like this with the X-Tornado or the Blue Typhoon. He was glad he was a fly boy and not a train guy.

Tails arrived at the station without any more problems. He stepped out of the cockpit and took out a crowbar from his tool box. He pried off the boards on the door as the crowd behind him watched with anticipation. Tails opened the doors and the prisoners inside were free for the first time in weeks. "David!" Cried someone in the crowd. "Martha!" Responded a man in the crowd. Everyone was extremely glad to finally hold their loved ones in their arms. They all stopped hugging and gathered around Tails. They all thanked him and gave him a hero's welcome. _They are treating me like one of the family, _thought Tails. He smiled. _I could get used to this._ The crowd left and Tails scanned the crowd for Topaz. He saw her leaving. "Topaz!" Yelled Tails. Topaz turned around and saw Tails. "Tails!" She answered back. They both ran to each other and shook hands. "What are you doing here? I thought you left for Mobius." Tails explained to Topaz everything; the madman, the Chaos emeralds, the Phantoms, the Conclave, and everything else.

"Wow," commented Topaz, "you've been through a lot. By the way, is Rouge with you?"

"She's at the hotel. We can go there, but we first need to get something." Tails ran to the cockpit and opened the engine again. He plucked the Chaos emerald, and left to the hotel with Topaz.

"So that's why the emeralds were here," said Topaz as she ate at the table in the hotel room.

"Yes," said Rouge, "and we need to get them back. Think you're up to it, old woman?"

"Of course I'm up to it."

Everyone congratulated Tails while Topaz and Rouge were talking.

"Wow, I should do this hero work more often," said Tails.

"Don't get cocky," said Vector, "we're just glad you're alive."

They all talked and laughed and celebrated the gain of another Chaos emerald. Six down, two to go.

At around 9:30, the party died down and everyone was asleep. Everyone except Tails. He was too excited by today's events to go to sleep. He had an impact on thousands of people's lives today. He only wished he could have done the same for Cosmo. He remembered how he failed, and what happened. It hurt him, just like it did six weeks ago. But he had a new sense of responsibility and drive. He wouldn't fail like that again. Oh no, he wouldn't. He would save everyone, just like Sonic. Just like his older brother. Tails smiled. Through losing something he gained something. He realized that this wasn't about him. It was about the greater good of stopping Abraxis and improving life for everyone. He felt good, thinking these thoughts. But he stopped himself. He knew these were dangerous thoughts. At the very least, he could be like how he was before he met Cosmo. He couldn't forget her, the potion he fell in made sure of that. But he felt like he could be strong; like he could do anything if he set his mind to it. It was like Cream said to him once: "Tails, don't use the bathroom, Cheese clogged it up again." Tails shook his head. Wrong thought. He remembered the line he was looking for: "Tails don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything. You can do anything you want to. I believe in you."

He heard footsteps. He saw Cream in her pajamas standing in front of him. She smiled at him.

"Hey Cream," said Tails.

"Hey Tails." Cream shifted onto her right leg, putting her left leg behind her.

"Tails, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"What about?"

"About this place. About this world. About everything! Everything seems so tremendous now."

"It does."

"But it can be taken down in bite-sized chunks when two people work together right?"

"Yeah. What are you getting at?"

"Well…Tails…Do you…y'know…see yourself traveling after this adventure?"

"Yeah…I guess…"

"Do you see yourself with someone? Like, someone who cares deeply about you?"

"Do you mean like a lover? No. I don't think anyone besides Cosmo could love me. But I'm okay with that. If I have to be alone, then I will. I'm okay with having only friends."

"But that's the thing!" Cried Cream irritated, "There are other people who care about you deeply. You don't have to be alone if you don't want to."

"I don't want to be alone. But I have to be."

"No, you don't! Jeez, every time I try to talk to you about this, it's like I'm trying to talk to a wall."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Cream."

"Then listen to me. You aren't alone. It's like I said before. You don't need to be alone. We care about you. I care about you. I…"

"Thanks for telling me Cream." Tails interrupted her because he started to feel tired, "you know I want to thank you for taking care of me all of these weeks."

"It's my pleasure Tails. You know, you can thank me by letting me come over and spend time with you after all of this is over."

Tails smiled. "Sure," he said, "I'd like that." Cream smiled too. She went over to him and planted a light kiss on his cheek. "Good night…my knight." She went back to her bed. Tails blushed, and went to his bed.


	16. Chapter 16: The Hunt for the Master Emer

Chapter 16: The Hunt for the Master Emerald

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Sonic.**

Daybreak. A dim grey light shown as the clouds blocked the sun and the light spread over the district. The chatter of people bellow dimmed to the quiet chirping of insects and the small roar of the stream. Cars toddled along at a snail's pace. The flowers in the parks lay dormant with their buds closed, eager for the sun to breathe life once more into the land. People walked around and conversed nervously about the new day and life in the quarantine. The Conclave patrolled the road. The horrid smell of pollution and the stench of wafting waste made the eyes water. It was even worse at the very peak of the man made mountains that stretched throughout every city. And that was where our heroes are.

Sonic never particularly enjoyed grey skies. But he supposed it was fitting for such a day. He, Knuckles, Shadow and Vector stood on top of a 50 story building, waiting for a chopper that would be piloted by Topaz and Tails to arrive soon. And there would be a short few minutes of toil and drudgery.

Sonic tapped his foot at a rapid pace. His arms were folded and his eyes were closed. An annoyed look was visible on his face. Shadow had a similar pose, as he leaned against a pole on the building. Vector sat on an air conditioning unit, nodding his head to an intoxicating beat on his headphones. Knuckles was pacing back and forth.

"I don't get it," muttered Knuckles, "they should've been here five minutes ago."

"I know," said Shadow, "I have half of a mind to start searching by myself."

"Oh c'mon," said Sonic, "let's just give them a little more time."

The others groaned impatiently. Sonic was impatient, too, but he thought that he needs whatever Tails has in mind to succeed in finding the last two emeralds. They waited for what seemed like hours, and then, over the horizon, a machine appeared. It was a black helicopter with a platform with one turret attached. The helicopter grew larger as it flew toward the building. The drone of the engine became audible, and the helicopter stopped near the building. The window unrolled and they saw Tails and Topaz's faces.

"Took you long enough," remarked Knuckles.

"Sorry," said Topaz, "but it's hard to find a working helicopter these days."

"Hop on to the platform," Tails said. The helicopter rose and revealed the platform. Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Vector stepped onto the platform. The helicopter began to fly off in the northwest direction, toward some high-rising apartments and business centers. They all heard Tails speak through the megaphone attached to the helicopter.

"Okay," started Tails. "We are going to search for the Master emerald."

"Why don't we just use that Chaos emerald tracker you said you built?" Asked Vector.

"I can't track the emeralds because their energy signature is being masked by a large cloaking wavelength projected throughout the cultural district. We need to disable the cloaking devices if we want to find the last emeralds."

"Unfortunately," said Topaz, "we're going to have to fly low if we want to find the cloaking devices. You all have to protect the chopper from the Conclave while we search. We have to stay in the air, or else Abraxis will have the devices moved to another location. So don't fall off of that platform."

"Yeah," said Sonic, "I'm not a big fan of falling to my doom."

"Oh," said Tails, "I hope you don't mind, but I brought some people along."

"Aw," teased Vector, "Tails brought his girlfriend along. Just make sure nothing happens to Cream, okay?"

"Um, I didn't bring Cream along…"

"Yeah bub!" A voice said on the megaphone, "The name is Decoe…"

"And Bocoe!"

"What?" Asked Shadow, "Why did you bring them along?"

"Because their hardware is the only thing making the tracker for the cloaking devices."

"So long as they don't betray us…" Started Sonic.

"Hey, don't worry;" said Decoe, "we aren't Bokkun, who has girl troubles."

"Bokkun has girl troubles?" Asked Tails.

"Yeah!" Said Bocoe, "Why do you think he betrayed us?"

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Knuckles asked as they traveled at a fast speed.

"We'll let you figure that one out," said Decoe.

The others stared ahead in deep thought. They failed to come up with a good reason regarding Bokkun's girl troubles.

"Maybe he's in love with a cactus," suggested Shadow as he imagined Bokkun flirting with a cactus, kissing the cactus, and then shouting "OOOOOOOOO!" in pain.

"Why are we even talking about this?" Asked an irritated Topaz.

"Because we can," said Knuckles in a jeering manner, "plus, we're bored. There aren't any Conclave heads to bust!"

"Then look to your right," suggested Vector. Everyone turned their heads to the right. On a nearby building, Conclave guards were taking cover. They popped out from behind air conditioning units, and fired on the helicopter. Sonic commandeered the turret and returned fire. The Conclave loaded a new cartridge into their weapons and resumed fire. One guard rose out of another unit. He hoisted what looked like a pipe onto his shoulder. The pipe was black. On the very top was a scope and at the front of the pipe was on odd cone like item.

"Oh noes!" Cried Sonic. He then aimed the turret at the guard sporting a rocket launcher and fired. The guard fell down on the ground. The other guards ceased fire, and stared at the downed guard. They all looked at each other in astonishment and ran towards the back of the building.

"Don't mess with us," boasted Sonic. The helicopter flew toward a small outcropping of buildings. The group of structures looked like miniscule models compared to the huge high rises. The helicopter whirred as it started to dive down to the building. The platform was hoisted next to the building in a few seconds. It jerked back and forth for a few seconds.

"Whoa!!" Yelled Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Vector as they fell to the ground. They felt like they were floating as they fell at an ever-accelerating pace. They all screamed as the almost hit the ground. _Crash!_ Sonic and his friends pulled themselves up from the ground. Sonic rubbed his head and stared at the ground. They saw huge craters were their face was a few moments ago. _Ouch,_ thought Sonic.

"Sorry about that," Tails apologized over the communicator, "but now you all need to find the cloaking device."

"Well, where is it?" Asked Knuckles.

"It should be down there."

Sonic and the others looked around. They were in a small parking lot. No cars were parked, and there were only a few dumpsters lining up against the wall of the buildings.

"Sorry," said Sonic, shaking his head, "but I don't see anything."

"What? But the locator said there is one right in this parking lot!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Asked Vector.

"What?" They all asked. Vector started to explain.

"Obviously, the cloaking devices are important. In order to protect the devices, a tech-savvy guy could cloak the cloaking devices in order to keep the machines hidden from average people."

Everyone stopped to look at Vector. Their jaws practically hit the ground. Tails was wide eyed. He looked down at the ground to where Vector was.

"He's right!" Tails exclaimed, "Abraxis probably cloaked the devices to hide them from normal citizens."

"Then how do we find the devices?" Queried Shadow.

"I don't know. But I have an idea. The cloaking devices probably do not make themselves fully invisible. They way most work is that they camouflage, or blend in with their surroundings. This would cause a visible distortion if looked at carefully. Look for any odd images in the parking lot."

Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Vector spread out. They squinted their eyes as they looked for anything blurry or incomplete. They walked around with arms outstretched to find anything. Eventually, Sonic bumped into something. He tried to walk in that direction, but hit something solid. Nothing was in his path.

"I found the device!" Sonic exclaimed.

The others rushed to were Sonic was. They flailed their arms in order to find the device. They discovered it.

"Now, how do we break this thing?"

Knuckles punched the device. He vibrated as he fell to the ground. Sonic kicked the machine, and received them same result. Shadow shouted "Chaos SPEAR!" and sent a spear flying toward the machine. The spear hit the machine, but it reflected back at Shadow. He dodged it and it kept flying until it hit a wall. The wall trembled and fell down. It revealed the bathrooms of the building and a man desperately tried to cover his privates. Vector tried to crush the machine in his mighty jaws, but he only hurt his teeth, as he pulled them back, howling in pain.

"How do we break it?" Sonic Asked.

"I don't know," said Tails, "I'll think of something, just give me time!"

Suddenly, the clouds gathered, and a huge lightning bolt rained from the sky and shocked the device for five seconds. The machine fell apart.

"What just happened?" Knuckles asked.

"I happened," a voice said from behind them. Sonic and the others turned around. They saw Daschniiya.

"Took me forever to find you all."

"Daschniiya!" Said Tails. "What are you doing here?"

"You are all searching for the Master emerald, right? And Abraxis has it cloaked, so you are trying to find it by destroying the cloaking devices?"

"Yes to all of them."

"Then let me help you. I do not know where the cloaking devices are, but I do know how to destroy them."

Shadow walked up to her, staring coldly at her. His red eyes burned like fire. "And we should trust you why?"

Daunted by Shadow's stare, Daschniiya moved backward for a few paces. She looked like she was about to run. She kept staring at Shadow's eyes. She regained her composure with a small shake, and then folded her arms across her chest. "Because I'm the only one who can destroy the devices," she answered.

The entire group looked at her, and then they motioned back to themselves. Arm in arm, they huddled like football players about to plan a play. They whispered amongst themselves in silent voices. They looked back at Daschniiya for a few seconds; then turned away as they turned their heads back in a quick, fluid motion.

"What are we going to do?" Asked Knuckles.

"We don't know anything about her," said Vector, "there is no way we can trust her."

"She might be a spy for the Conclave," suggested Shadow as he stared at all of them, "after all, she probably alerted the Conclave to our presence."

"She was the only one here able to destroy that thing," clamored Sonic, "if we don't take her, then who has a better idea of destroying the devices?" The others stayed silent. They were lost in a deep trance of thought, a mental coma, like they have fallen asleep to think, to dream. They all stood silent. Sonic left the huddle. He smiled as he looked into Daschniiya's blue eyes.

"We'd be honored to have you with us," Sonic said.

"Thanks," Daschniiya responded. She and the group started to walk back to the helicopter. Tension rung high in the group. Nobody really agreed with Sonic's decision. He could tell. But he simply did what needed to be done.

They climbed onto the platform. Daschniiya stood in the center of the platform with her arms still folded across her breasts. She gazed ahead, looking on as if lost in the grey horizon and entranced with a small voice that whispered to her in the wind. She smiled occasionally, and still stared ahead. Shadow, Knuckles and Vector kept their distance from her, watching her with caution. Sonic spoke into his communicator.

"Tails," Sonic said, "this is Sonic."

"What's up, Sonic?"

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm bringing a visitor along."

Tails and Topaz grew wide-eyed. They stared at each other for a millisecond. Tails called back into the communicator.

"A visitor? Who?"

"Hello Tails," called out Daschniiya.

"Hi miss fortune teller lady, um… what are you doing here?"

"I wish to help you destroy the cloaking devices."

"Okay." Tails took control of the helicopter and swiveled the controls. His gaze stood transfixed at the horizon line. He was worried about something. Why was Daschniiya here? How did she find them? Was she stalking them? Tails grew increasingly worried. He thought back to all of the parts of the adventure they were in, and something was odd. It simply made no sense. The Chaos emeralds, the Conclave and the Phantoms, Abraxis…everything was spiraling out of control. And Daschniiya and Abraxis were at the center of it all; the key actors in the convoluted plot in a twisted tale. Tails couldn't think straight.

"Watch out!" Cried Decoe as Bocoe screamed. Tails snapped out of his stupor and gazed out of the window. He saw he was about to crash into the ocean! Sonic let loose with an audible "HHHHHYYYYYEEEEELLLLLP!" Tails pulled the controls up and the helicopter jostled the passengers like dice for a few seconds. The helicopter stopped and straightened out. Everyone on the platform was on their backs or stomachs. Sonic raised his head and rubbed it. He groaned with pain. "Tails, what the crap man?" He looked around the platform and found everyone there.

"Is everyone there?" Asked Topaz.

"We're all here," mumbled Vector.

"We're doing fine," said Shadow as he spat out a piece of metal.

"Let's go again! Let's go again!" Daschniiya said as she lay disorientated on the platform.

The helicopter flew off. The vehicle began to approach the older section of the city. Like a mosaic dedicated to the homeless and down trodden, the buildings looked as if they could topple over at any minute. The buildings looked etched and hardened and rugged. Age surely caught up to them, yet they refused to slump to the ground where they were built and supported. The cement looked of plastered stone and wood that was held together by the ash of an earlier Earth, where fire boiled the seas and blackened the land like coal.

The helicopter slowed and hovered over a small shanty. The roof was not made of tile, but made of assorted trash and newspaper. Metal clung to the walls like a desperate sailor clings to a ship. Sonic and his friends jumped off of the platform. _Clang!_ Went the roof as feet impacted the surface. The metal waved and flailed with each step they took. A small TV emitted garbled words and gibberish as it showed the picture of a woman and static interwoven together. They found a small distortion in the corner of the patio. Daschniiya stared at it.

"There," she said as she raised her finger toward it, "that's the second device." She raised her hands and thrust her hands down to the ground. The clouds darkened and tumbled, twisting inside whilst grumbling and seething. The clouds finally belched out several thick strands of yellow lightning and struck the device. The device groaned and shifted, trying to invent a noise no one has ever heard before. The device crackled and sputtered and the device crumbled and expelled a large force of electricity and wind. Daschniiya was thrown against the wall and slumped to the floor with her eyes closed. Sonic ran toward her. He hoisted her up to her feet. He shook her vigorously. "Daschniiya!" Sonic called out. "Can you hear me?" She simply let her head roll to one side and said nothing. Sonic heard the footsteps of the others. Sonic turned to them. "C'mon," Sonic said, "We need to get her back on that platform."

Knuckles shrugged. "Figures she'd get herself knocked out."

They picked her up and lifted her back onto the platform. The helicopter shifted and flew off smoothly into the distance. Sonic called in.

"Tails! I think we've lost our main weapon."

"What happened?"

"Daschniiya went and got herself KO'd."

"Is she still breathing?"

"I think so."

"Darn-I mean, err, good! But what are we going to do about the devices?"

"We'll just have to wait until she regains consciousness."

"That's okay. We are at the last device, anyway."

Sonic and his friends minus Daschniiya got down onto the ground. When they stood up, they looked into the maw of a large building, full of cars and signs; a parking structure. They found the device at the entrance.

"Okay," said Knuckles, "how do we destroy that sucker?"

"I don't know," said Shadow, "but let's try to do what Daschniiya did."

Shadow walked toward the device. He stopped walking from a just a few meters. He breathed in, and then he raised his arms to the sky. Like a lightning strike, Shadow brought his arms down fast and hard. He saw a few streaks of red and black lightning rain down from the sky. The lightning came as only a few thin strands, then widened and roared like a water fall. The device crackled and sputtered, and it fell apart. Shadow stood up from his crouch and smiled. He liked this new power. It felt exhilarating. He turned back to the road, satisfied. They all joined him.

Soon, a torrent of bullets started flying past their heads. They turned their heads and saw two trucks bearing the Conclave heraldry rushing toward them. The trucks swiveled around and revealed two turrets. Sonic, Knuckles, Vector and Shadow rushed behind a wall. Shadow tried to start the lightning strike again, but he couldn't. He was too tired to. "I have an idea," said Knuckles. He raised his arms to the sky, and pink lightning rained down from the sky. Focusing his will onto the trucks, the lightning turned slightly to the right and electrocuted the two trucks, electrical streams jumping to and fro everywhere. The trucks finally broke down.

Knuckles gasped tiredly and fell to his knees. "Wow," he said, "that move takes a bite out of you."

"I know," said Shadow. He walked over to Knuckles and helped him to his feet. They began to walk to the helicopter.

Back at the hotel, everyone was clamoring about Shadow and Knuckles' new found power.

"I didn't know you could do that," said Shadow.

"Neither did I," said Knuckles.

"Yeah, but my lightning was a cool color. You just have hot pink lightning bolts!"

"Hey! It takes a true man to wear pink!"

Daschniiya, who had regained consciousness, walked into the room garbed in a yellow bathrobe and her cowboy hat. She looked weary and said to them, "Just make sure you all don't go crazy with that new power. It is extremely dangerous for the neophyte to use Chaos Storm."

Sonic turned to Daschniiya and gave her a smug look. "We aren't neophytes. We've been going super and teleporting since before you came here."

"That's all regular novice level powers to those who know the Chaos emeralds' secrets."

"But nobody knows any secrets about them," said Shadow.

"There are people who do. The first race that discovered them is the Chaeons."

"Chaeons? Who or what are those?" Asked Tails.

"They are a race of humans on the planet Illum who have been mutated by the Chaos emeralds. They were the first guardians. Or so the legend goes."

"I thought the echidnas were the guardians of the emeralds." Said Amy.

"The Chaeons say they first discovered the emeralds long ago. And they discovered powers that nobody else has ever seen or utilized."

"So there are people more powerful than Shadow and Sonic?" Asked Vector.

"Yes. There are multitudes of people more powerful than them. The Chaeons, for instance." She sighed and said: "Abraxis is one of them, you know."

"That'd make sense," said Tails.

"Of course it does." Daschniiya shifted to her right side and sat in a chair. She looked troubled and sighed again. "Listen. There is something you all must know about me before you continue along your quest." She lifted her arm and grabbed her hat. She took it off, hand shaking, and set it down on the coffee table. Everyone saw two bloomed rose buds on her head. They gasped.

"You're….you're…" began Bokkun as he stared at her wide-eyed.

"A Seedrian, yes," Daschniiya said.

Amy scoffed nervously. "I thought the Metarex wiped out every Seedrian except Cosmo."

Daschniiya raised her eyebrows. "Cosmo? The daughter of the head of the Seedrian council, Hertia? That Cosmo?"

"Yes," said Cream.

"So she survived. But she died, didn't she? Yes, she did. Listen; do you know what caused Lucas to form the Metarex?"

Sonic shrugged. "Something about protecting the Seedrians from some odd enemy."

"Yes, that is correct. Do you also know the purpose of the Conclave and that the race that created it is called the Vodeiyanoi?"

"Yes, we all know that." Said Shadow. "What's the point?"

"The enemy that hunted the Seedrians was the Conclave." Everyone in the room gasped and stared at Daschniiya in horror. The same gang who ruled the streets here also caused the destruction of the Seedrian race.

"Those meanies!" Cried Cream, "Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. The Vodeiyanoi are highly imperialistic. They believed heavily in the "Grey man's burden" and all of that crud. My guess was that the Conclave tried to colonize the Seedrian planet. They were met with resistance, and well, everything happened." Daschniiya looked at everyone with tears in her eyes. Her voice quivered as she spoke. "Everyone I knew died because of the Conclave. I was studying to be a doctor, and I was spared the fate of death because of my studies. I traveled to Illum to study medicine at a prestigious university. That place held mixed feelings for me. I loved being there and... I met the man I am in love with there. But it was also there I found out what happened. I grew depressed as I mourned for my friends and family. I eventually moved on, and started a clinic in a Chaeon city called Valethir. I wanted to do something to get back at the Conclave. In short, I was recruited by the Chaeons to find a way to stop the Conclave. And so I came here." She looked up and saw her friends sleeping. She sighed.

"Good night everyone," Daschniiya said. She went to the recliner and pulled a yellow blanket over herself. It was yellow, her favorite color. She pulled a necklace from her cowboy hat. Attached to it was a heart-shaped locket. She opened it and sighed deeply. "I love you," she said quietly, "so much." The picture showed her kissing a man. The man had blonde hair and golden eyes. He was handsome…


	17. Chapter 17:Domino's Emerald Pizza Delive

Chapter 17: Domino's Emerald Pizza Delivery

**Disclaimer: Sonic can't be owned! He refuses to be owned! And I don't own Domino's Pizza or Pizza Hut.**

At the hotel, Tails left toward the basement. He entered and saw the plane he would share with Topaz and Chris. It was a beautiful thing; painted blue and gold and looked exactly like the X-Tornado, inch for inch. He saw Topaz and Chris waiting for him outside of the plane. They turned to face Tails.

"You ready to do this?" Asked Chris.

"Yes," answered Tails, "time to wrap up this adventure."

Topaz and Chris nodded and walked into the cockpit of the plane. Tails put on his flying helmet and started to walk into the cockpit. He stopped as he felt something yank on his helmet strap. He turned around and saw Cream and Cheese. She was smiling and had her eyes focused on Tails. Her eyes were soft and gleaming with a brown light generated by the sun behind her eyes. She wore a beautiful orange dress that was adorned with ribbons. Cheese wore a black bowtie instead of his usual red tie. His bulb over his head was not its usual spherical shape; rather, it was shaped like a heart.

"Hi Cream and Cheese," Tails said shyly.

"Chao!" Said Cheese.

"Hi Tails," Cream said. They both stood in silence for a few seconds, Cream holding her arm and Tails transfixed by Cream's dress. They both began to speak.

"Tails, I-" Cream said.

"Cream, I-" Tails said.

"You first," said Cream.

"Well, Cream, I just wanted to tell you, well, erm," Tails started as he blushed slightly, "that, well, I…want to thank you for everything you have done for me these past few weeks. It is strange. I have experienced so much in so little time. When Cosmo died, it felt like my world ended. But you and Amy have been so kind to me and you all helped my through the toughest time of my life. I think I am able to move on from Cosmo. You helped me recover, and there is no way to thank you for what you have done."

Cream laughed softly. "Tails," she said, "I don't need to be thanked. But if you want to thank me, you can just say thank you."

"Alright then, thank you. Now, you go."

"Well, I've been thinking…Abraxis has nowhere to go, right?"

"Right."

"That means he is going to fight us, right?"

"Hopefully not."

"But what if he does? What if some of us don't make it?"

"Cream, don't say that. Well make it out just fine. You'll see, you'll-"

Tails felt Cream grab his shirt and pulled him close to her. He smelled her fresh-smelling breath and saw her nice smile. It was a winning smile…

And it happened. Tails felt something warm and moist press against his lips and chin. He felt relaxed and warm. He didn't want to leave wherever he was. He didn't want to open his eyes. But he did. And he could not believe what he saw. He saw Cream's closed eyelids, right in his point of view. He and Cream were kissing. They both pulled away and looked at each other as they both blushed.

"What…what does this mean?" Tails asked sheepishly.

"It means, 'I love you', Tails. Only now I don't know what to do."

"It's okay. We can figure out what to do next after this adventure is over." Tails left Cream's embrace and left toward the plane. He strapped in and waved to Cream as the plane left the hanger.

Dawn shined her beautiful face on the city. Golden celestial light penetrated the thick, dark clouds of night and intensified with each and every pulsating rhythm. It was like a little heartbeat; breathing life anew into the land, heralding the birth of a new time, a new era for the city and the group. Even though it was early in the morning, sonic bubbled with energy. He could feel the rush of energy. He had the feeling that his little jaunt into Station Square would end soon, but he was eager to do so. It'd mean he could finally relax after six intense weeks and he could run around and be free yet again. He could see Tails out of his depression and he could finally explore this new feeling he had for Amy. But first things were first, and Sonic had a big mission to do.

His wrist watch rang. Sonic took it out eagerly and answered.

"Are we ready to go?" He asked as Tails appeared on the screen.

"We are Sonic. Do you need a review of the plan?"

"Nah. I'd say we are good to go. Now hurry up and get into that aircraft of yours!"

The communicator clicked off, and Sonic ran off in one direction. He ran to a circle of buildings that surrounded a small museum. Sonic leaped onto a pole. His communicator rang. He turned it on.

"Is everyone in position?" Tails asked.

"Yes," everyone responded.

"Good. Here is the review of the plan: the Master emerald and the final Chaos emerald are in the museum. We need to drop this massive stink bomb onto the building to get the Conclave to clear out. They will take the emeralds with them as they escape. Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Daschniiya and Amy will pursue them. We will distract them long enough so Sonic and the rest can get into the truck and make off with the emeralds."

Sonic stopped the call and moved behind a turret. It was a large box with a cannon pointing out into the sky. Across the distance, Sonic saw three other turrets. He saw Knuckles, Shadow and Daschniiya move behind the turrets. He saw in the sky the blue and gold airplane that Tails, Topaz and Chris was in. Sonic saw Daschniiya, Shadow and Knuckles raise their arms. Sonic raised his arms, and blue, yellow, black and red and pink lightning rained down from the sky. The lightning bolts struck the turrets and crackled and surged as they leaped from turret to turret. Sonic felt the strain on his will and body as he tried to keep the storm running. And the turrets broke apart. Sonic radioed in. "Alright, Tails, the ground is clear."

"Good," Tails said, "now stand back. The smell of this stuff is repugnant."

The plane dived toward the building as the bottom of the plain opened. Out of the bay, a large, green glob slumped out of the plain. It had the words _Eddy's Brother's El Mondo Stink Bomb_. It fell like a piece of dead weight to the building. When it impacted, the green gas sprayed everywhere and the entire museum was flooded with the smell of 5000 dead bison. Two Conclave members rushed out with two emeralds. One fell to the ground, crying. "NO! OUR SNACKS!" A truck pulled in to the building's entrance. The truck had a ruby red driver's seat and a white body. On the body was the Domino's Pizza logo with the Conclave symbol painted over it. The two Conclave members shoved the emeralds into the back, and moved to the front. The truck took off. Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Daschniiya leaped from the tall buildings and started to run toward the truck.

As they ran, Sonic and his friends looked up at the sky. Sonic's communicator beeped. He answered it.

"Sonic et al, Topaz, Chris and I will tail the truck from up here."

Sonic smirked. "This is going to be fun." He said to his friends. Shadow smirked as well. "Just make sure you can keep up, faker."

Keeping up with the truck was hard. The truck moved at a leisurely pace, but gradually speeded up. The truck zoomed down the streets and boroughs and almost flew off of hills in the pavement. It almost fell over as it rounded sharp turns and straightened out with a screeching sound. Pedestrians dove off of the pavement and cars rushed to the sides of the truck. The rest had trouble keeping up with the truck. Sonic called in.

"Tails," he said, "this is Sonic! We need help keeping up with the truck!"

"Don't worry, Sonic. The truck should be coming up to the first deterrent."

Suddenly, the truck screeched as the tires smoked and the truck slid forward a few meters. It finally grinded to halt, leaving a trail of melted rubber behind. In the driver's seat, the two drivers fought.

"Why are you stopping?" One driver asked.

"There is something odd about that stop sign."

The driver pointed to a poorly constructed stop sign that read _SOP_. The other driver hit his forehead with his palm.

Sonic and the others ran to the back of the truck. Sonic reached out and grabbed the handles of the door and yanked. The doors would not budge. Sonic grunted as the truck sped off again. He ran as he held onto the doors, and watched as Shadow, Knuckles, Amy and Daschniiya became little specks in the distance. Sonic scrambled up to the roof of the truck. He hoisted his blue body up and tried to catch his breath. His breathing slowed and his heart softened as it thumped against his chest. The wind blew in his face and threatened to blow him away. He saw that the truck was speeding off into a harbor. Sonic called in.

"Tails! The truck is pulling in to a dock!"

"The Conclave must have a boat inbound. They must know you are afraid of water…"

"Hey! I am not afraid of water! I'm afraid of getting my fur wet, and freezing in the water, and drowning…" Sonic shuddered and fell onto the roof of the truck, sucking his thumb.

"Sure you aren't. I am going to send the message to everyone and we'll be at the dock to assist you in recovering the emeralds." Tails signed off and Sonic leaped off of the truck. He ran to the doors of the truck and found them ajar. He opened one and saw nothing in there. Nothing. Sonic grew wide eyed. Did he follow the wrong truck? Was he wasting time as the Conclave made off with the emeralds? No. The drivers were fast in loading the powerful cargo into the truck. It'd stand to reason that the drivers could unload the cargo just as easily. He ran toward the dock.

The dock was littered with boxes containing everything from toys to imported cigars. The pavement was grey and the Conclave symbol was slathered everywhere, proclaiming the Conclave's superiority. Sonic walked down the dock. He saw Conclave guards. A large group of Conclave guards, at that. One member turned his head and pointed at Sonic's direction.

"It's him!"

"Run away!" Many of the Conclave members ran away and jumped off of the docks. Others sputtered and blubbered as they lost consciousness. Sonic smiled. "That's right, run." He said.

"Um, Sonic?" Sonic heard Tails say.

"Yes Tails?"

"They aren't running from you."

"Oh well," said Sonic, "let's just get the emeralds and go."

Sonic and his friends walked down the together. They arrived at the boat for what seemed like hours of walking. The boat looked like a huge shipping barge. It was empty for everything except one thing. A glass case was at the center of the barge's surface. In the case were two pedestals. One held a large green emerald that glowed with power and hummed like it couldn't contain its contents. The other was a small blue emerald.

Sonic's friends caught up to him. There was Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, Vector, Decoe, Bocoe, Bokkun, Amy, Cream, Chris, Ella, Mr. Tanaka, Topaz and Daschniiya. Topaz walked toward the case and sighed.

"You know," she began to say, "I once had the Master emerald in my hands when I infiltrated the Conclave. Abraxis asked me to hold it while he ran a test on it. It felt warm. There was so much power in it that I felt myself be lost in its radiance.

"It's not right. The feeling, that is." She looked at Sonic. "That big lightning storm of yours should open the casing. Let's open it, and get out of here."

Sonic gazed into the Master emerald. He saw Abraxis's smug face in the emerald. He saw Tikal and Chaos and Emerl and Cosmo and Dark Oak. They all either brimmed with an evil, warped grim or a sad, drooping mouth. In his mind's eye, Sonic understood why everyone wanted the Master emerald. But he understood what effect it had on people's lives. Sonic raised his arms, and he brought them down sharply. A huge lightning bolt flew from the sky and broke through the casing. The case shattered and the Master emerald and Chaos emerald fell to the floor. Cream picked up the Chaos emerald. "It is really shiny, isn't it, Cheese?" She said. The chao agreed.

Sonic held the Master emerald. He could feel it instantly leeching off of him. The power in the emerald was great. In his hands was the power to create worlds, destroy planets, save the world and save anyone. It was almost more than he could bear. Sonic looked at the emerald with lust. He didn't know it was so pretty…He didn't want to let go off the emerald. It was his precious. The Master emerald felt so warm…so comforting…he would never let go of it…it would never leave his sight…

The emerald grew brighter and brighter. A ray of light was emitted from the giant stone and penetrated into his eyes.

"What's happening?" Asked Amy.

"He is absorbing the power of the emerald!" Said Daschniiya.

"Stop it Mr. Sonic!" Cried Cream as she hugged Cheese to her chest, "You're frightening Cheese and I!"

"Stop it, faker!" Commanded Shadow.

"Stop this attack!" A voice yelled, "Whatever you are doing, you are going to bring dire consequences to all of us." The hum of a hovercraft approached. Everyone except Sonic looked up. In the air was none other than the infamous scientist Rupert Edgebald-err Dr. Eggman. He jumped off and slapped Sonic. Sonic fell backwards as the emerald cooled down.

"Ow! That hurt!" Said Sonic.

"You can thank me for saving your sorry butt later, Sonic."

Sonic looked up and saw Eggman. He gasped and readied himself for a fight. Dr. Eggman cringed.

"No!" He cried, "I'm not here to fight you! I'm here to join you!"

"Join us?" Asked Amy as she held her hammer up, "You blew us off for a grey guy in a dress! Why would we let you join us?"

"Listen," said Dr. Eggman, "I'm sorry, but I didn't know Abraxis's reasons for stealing the emerald! He is crazy! I can't work with crazy!"

"Real reasons, you say?" Asked Tails.

"Yes! He always mumbles something about saving the world, training Sonic or looking at me with a horrible scowl! I can't take it! Please take me back!" That proud man got on his knees and pleaded with his hands clasped together.

"Anything eh?" Said Decoe.

"Anything."

"You can join us, but we will decide your punishment later."

"Yay! :D"

Soon, the entire group was walking away with all of the emeralds. Sonic felt happy for the first time in weeks. No more urban gangs and hello Mobian summertime! His smile faded as his communicator beeped.

"Tails, there's no reason to use the communicator anymore."

"But that isn't me."

Sonic looked at his communicator and answered it. It was Abraxis!

"Yes," began Abraxis, "Can I have a large pizza with beef toppings and tomatoes? Well? Can I?!" Sonic was entirely confused. "Listen you punk butt (bleep)! If you don't send me my pizza, I will send the Conclave to Domino's to haul your butt over- Wait, you're not Domino's! You're that geeky blue kid with the hair problem! Well, I saw what you did. If I were you, I would have absorbed all of the energy in that emerald. It would be that type of thinking that would get you ready-"

"-For what is coming. I've heard you for the thousandth time in this adventure! Listen, what were you doing with the emeralds?! What is this thing that is coming?! And why are you ordering from Domino's?! Everyone knows Pizza Hut is better!"

Abraxis smiled and laughed. "Ever the gullible Sonic. If you want your questions answered, you need to come to the large and wide sky scraper in the middle of Station Square. But I will tell you this: Domino's is better than Pizza Hut." The communicator switched off.

Everyone crowded around Sonic. "Don't go Sonic," said Vector, "this is a trap!"

"Of course it is a trap!" Said Dr. Eggman.

"That's why you are all coming with me," said Sonic, "so we can end this nonsense."

**Only two chapters left! **


	18. Chapter 18: The Showdown

Chapter 18: The Showdown

**Disclaimer: SEGA owns Sonic. Do I look like SEGA?**

The sunlight hid behind the clouds. The traffic that flooded the streets in a huge river thinned into small trickles. And there stood Abraxis on top of a 100 story building. He sat on a pipe on the huge and long roof. His right leg was on top of his left. His hands were clasped together, occasionally rubbing briskly to generate some amount of warmth. Lightning jumped from hand to hand as his hands rubbed together. He stared off in the distance, a dangerous look apparent on his face. The test was over. Or it would be. He only prayed that they had the courage to fight and that they hated him enough to finish him. He was tired of everything; the test, the quarantine, the Conclave, the lies…

After today, none of that would ever matter again.

_Where are they? _He thought.

He bent down and started to massage his foot.

_They should have been here minutes ago…_

Footsteps echoed. Someone was breathing hard in an erratic pattern. They were here. Abraxis smiled and pulled his head up. He saw Sonic and his friends. He rose up as if to greet them. But he did not extend his hand. He looked at them with a glassy eye. His pupil vibrated in the white socket of his eye. He chuckled slightly. And a flash covered the entire building.

Sonic couldn't see anything. But he heard a horrible sound; the moan of a desperate child, the scream of thousands of people, going on and on and screeching reverently. They called out to Sonic, infected with hope. Like Sonic could save them from their suffering. Like he _could _have saved them. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. But in the distance was a huge, blue globe that glowed with a white light in the center. Sonic saw three prongs poke out of the globe. They had tips that looked sinister and cruel. They looked like dragons.

Sonic gasped and looked at the ground. He looked everywhere. He saw ships.

He saw the Blue Typhoon.

Everyone else gasped as they beheld the environment. It was so eerily memorable. So close to their minds and hearts. So deadly. Abraxis appeared in front of them, and laughed.

"Here we are; back where it all started, on the night Cosmo died in vain! Ha! You all should know that when the Metarex attacked, I was so worried you all weren't going to live through the battles. But you all were fine. More than fine, actually."

Sonic's head began to hurt, but in the pain came a memory. He saw himself falling to Mobius.

"Wait a minute," Sonic said. He pointed at Abraxis. "I remember your voice now. You were there after I fell to Mobius!"

Cream stepped forward and clenched her fists. "You were there when Emerl attacked!"

Tails walked forward. "You were there when I had to kill Cosmo!"

Abraxis simply moved his hand toward them. "Don't you all get it? I have ALWAYS been there, Sonic and friends. Every step of your lives."

Abraxis teleported a few feet back from his foes. He remained still, but three orbs flew from him and at Sonic and his friends. The orbs landed behind them and exploded. They all screamed as they were thrown forward. Abraxis ran up to Sonic and grabbed Sonic by his collar. He raised Sonic up to his face and raised his fist. His fist glowed with energy. Sonic looked away. He heard a loud hitting sound. Sonic fell to the ground. He looked up and saw Vector and Knuckles wrestling with Abraxis. Vector was using both hands to push one of Abraxis's hands away, while Knuckles focused on the other hand. Abraxis laughed under the strain.

"Ha! The bravery of fools is valiant nonetheless."

He grasped both of their arms and ran at such a fast speed that he was a blur. He flung both Vector and Knuckles over his head and brought them crashing down on the floor. _BANG!_ Vector and Knuckles slumped to the floor. They lay still on the ground. They only made the sound of breathing. Sonic gasped. Abraxis turned his head, the rage and exhilaration plain in his eyes. He ran towards Sonic and reached out to grab him. Sonic jumped to Amy's ship. Abraxis teleported there. He tried to punch Sonic. Sonic ducked as the electrically charged fist swung over his head. Sonic kicked Abraxis down and ran back to the main ship. Abraxis teleported again. This time, he raised his arms to create an x shape with his legs and arms. Three rings appeared and glowed ominously. They drew into Abraxis one by one. When the last one entered his body, he clapped his hands together. A huge lightning bolt shot out of his hands. Sonic had barely enough time to jump out of the way. Abraxis teleported in front of Sonic and began the attack again. Sonic jumped to the side as the electrical surge shot out of his hands. Sonic saw where the lightning went, and saw Shadow actually grasp the lightning and flung the bolt back at Abraxis. Abraxis dodged. The bolt missed by a few inches, but it did hit something.

It hit Daschniiya.

She flew backwards and collapsed on the ground. Abraxis yelled "NOOOOOOO!"He ran over to her. Amy ran over to Daschniiya. She raised her hammer and hit Abraxis over the head. He screamed. "NO! LET ME BE WITH HER!" He then went low and swung his leg at toward Amy's head. The blow connected. Amy fell back with a breathless moan. He hurtled over Amy and started to shake Daschniiya. He hugged her and ran toward Shadow. "You…!" He said and ran toward Shadow. Shadow ran toward Abraxis. But Abraxis unsheathed his sword and swung it at Shadow. A large cut was cleared across Shadow's chest. Shadow spun around, and Abraxis kicked him. Shadow fell to the ground, stunned. Abraxis fell to the ground. He gasped for breath, holding his chest as he kneeled. Sonic saw it was his chance to attack. Sonic, Tails, Rouge, Decoe and Bocoe ran over toward Abraxis. With a great leap, they pounced on him and started to pile on punches. He grunted and groaned as they kicked and punched him. He eventually stood up and swirled his arms. Eight beams of energy spiraled out from him and blew away Sonic and his friends. Abraxis chuckled. Sonic's vision grayed and all sounds faded and echoed. He saw Abraxis rush toward him, and he grabbed Sonic. Sonic grabbed Abraxis's right arm to stop it from impacting on his face. He looked scared as Abraxis moved closer. Sonic could smell his breath.

With a new burst of confidence, Sonic said, "You're not working your way out this time, Abraxis!" Sonic strained as Abraxis put more pressure on his arm.

"You're weak!" Said Abraxis, "A failure! Just like your friends! All of this has been for nothing!" Abraxis pulled Sonic to one side and thrust his palm onto Sonic's face. Sonic felt electricity course through his body, electrocuting him. He felt an unbearable pain, and heard his friends scream. Sonic felt instant relief when Abraxis removed his palm. Sonic fell unceremoniously to the ground.

Abraxis grunted disapprovingly. He moved toward Sonic. He raised his foot over Sonic's chest. Before he could bring his foot down, Abraxis felt his body peppered with millions of needles. He retracted his foot and saw Dr. Eggman.

"Get your hands off of him! Nobody kills that hedgehog except me!"

Abraxis snorted as he held his arm. He looked at Eggman with unbelievable anger.

"This doesn't concern you, fat man!" He launched Dr. Eggman away with a shockwave. Dr. Eggman screamed as he flew away. He turned back to Sonic. He saw Sonic and his friends pick himself off of the floor and get ready to fight him.

He ran toward them and let loose with another lightning bolt. The others dodged and Knuckles ran up to Abraxis and gave him a solid right hook to his jaw. Abraxis flipped over and fell to the ground. He teleported to the helm of the Blue Typhoon and lightning rained from the heavens. The lightning struck the ship and sounds of machinery breaking, stopping and exploding dotted the sound. Sonic looked and saw Abraxis. He was suffused in a red and black nuance. His eyes were gold and his skin was grey.

Abraxis had turned super.

"That the best you can do?!" He screamed. He flew over to them, lightning streaming from his body and striking the ground. He laughed insanely. Sonic and his friends ran for cover. They hid on Amy's ship. They all were gasping for air. Tails looked at Sonic.

"It's no use," Tails said, "We can't defeat him. Not like this."

Sonic's confident smirk returned to his face. He held up all of the emeralds.

"If he can turn super, then we can, too." Sonic and Shadow stepped out onto the ship. The emeralds began to levitate and spin around Sonic and Shadow. They both turned gold. They flew towards Abraxis. They crashed into him. Abraxis laughed as they crashed into the Blue Typhoon. Those three began to fight faster than the blink of an eye, the vague outlines of red and gold visible. They stopped.

Abraxis was face down on the floor.

Sonic kept watching him. The others flew towards the Blue Typhoon. Abraxis raised his head and coughed. They all heard him say something. Sonic heard the words more clearly than anyone else: "Daschniiya…I love you…please forgive me." He then split into clones, and each rushed at everyone. They grabbed their faces and visions began to play in their heads.

"Once you see everything," Abraxis started, "it will all make sense. You see, I am a Chaeon. I lived on the planet Illum. I was the son of a wealthy merchant. It went to school, and got good grades. When I was sixteen, these priests came to me. We Chaeons worship a goddess named Chaos, and her priests came to me and told me that I am a favored soul; a person who will do great things for the universe. They took me away from my family and my friends. I belonged to the Church of Chaos. Literally. They taught me the power of Chaos magic, and kept me locked in the church. One day, I met a beautiful woman. She was a Seedrian. She and I began to see each other in secret. Another day, a priest told me I had to guard a sacred artifact called the Soul Gem. At that temple, I held an all night vigil over the artifact. But a person came to see me. She was my lover. We spent the night in each other's arms, but unbeknownst to me was that the Soul Gem started to crack, and then it broke. And the Soul Gem released a creature made of evil, which was intent on wiping out all life. This creature was the fiend lord Nazo. He began to chase us, freezing the place and tearing it apart with his fiendish creations. We fled, and I told the priests Nazo had escaped. I left Illum to find the one person who could possibly help me defeat Nazo: Sonic. I found you, and we went to Illum to fight Nazo. But we were too late. He captured three planets; my planet, Earth and the Seedrian planet. He also captured your friends. He then made you a deal you couldn't refuse: he would destroy the planets, but he'd let your friends go. You _accepted_ the deal, and those planets died. 18 billion lives, GONE. As you ran off with your friends, I held my dead lover in my arms. I hated you. I hated everything about you. I said that if you weren't going to be the hero everyone would need, I would force you to become one, just like the priests forced me to become a favored soul. I used my most dangerous power; I went on a one way trip back in time. I seized control of the Vodeiyanoi Conclave on Earth. I spent decades plotting the attack on the Seedrian planet, organizing the quarantine, finding you. Eventually, I found you. And the game began."

Sonic's brain lurched. He spoke.

"Why did you do this?"

"Like I said. I would make a hero out of you. But the one thing that drove me forward, my sole link to the past was a picture of the day I fell in love…With Daschniiya."

"I can't believe this. I did all of this to make us heroes?"

"No. I wanted you strong, ruthless, so that when the time came, you wouldn't make the same mistake…"

Everyone snapped out of the visions. Abraxis fell to the floor. Daschniiya ran to him. She put her index and middle finger together, and felt Abraxis's neck. Tails looked at Daschniiya.

"Is he…?"

Daschniiya buried her face in her palms and nodded yes.

"So he's dead." Shadow said.

Abraxis raised his head. "I'm not dying you idiot!" He shouted. Everyone jumped back. Abraxis's voice softened. "I'm fading away." He stroked Daschniiya's cheek. Daschniiya felt his hand. She leaned down and kissed him. And Abraxis disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	19. Chapter 19: The End

Chapter 19: The End

**Disclaimer: If I have to say this now, then you need to really read the top of the page.**

The sun shined on the city. No more gangs, no more fights. The adventure has ended. The crime rate of Station Square has significantly decreased. Without Arvana and Abraxis, the Conclave went into hiding and the Phantoms were hosed out by GUN troops. The quarantine was lifted, as a group of scientists found a cure for the disease. But mostly with the disappearance of the Conclave, the disease disappeared as well. Station Square bounced back from the quarantine. But has everyone else?

Sonic thought that once Abraxis was defeated, life would go back to normal. But life seemed more distorted and erratic than ever. But then, he realized that that was his life. He needed to eat, breathe, and sleep it for the rest of his life. Sonic shrugged. _At least nobody's traumatized,_ he thought. He wasn't really concerned. He had a party to go to first. He ran down the streets of the clean city. He bumped into someone. He saw who it was. It was Daschniiya.

"Hey, Daschniiya," he said.

"Hello Sonic," she said. She looked tired, with circles under her eyes. She looked like she had done some crying, with her eyes red and her dress ruffled and spotted near her neck.

"How are you feeling?"

"I am fine."

"Are you going to the party?"

"Yes. Then afterwards, I plan to go back to Illum. Finally, I get to trade up a crystal ball for medicine. I'll bet my clinic on Illum fell into disrepair."

"You never did tell us how you came here."

"Well, my lover decided to teach me some Chaos magic."

"Oh, I see. I still don't understand how you can love him after all he's done."

Daschniiya smiled sadly. "Sonic, there are two different Abraxises. One was that man who stole the Chaos emerald. The other is my lover. Besides, say our roles were switched. Don't you think it's possible _I _could have done what he did?"

"I suppose so. So it's like that cheap different timelines gimmick you see in fan fiction?"

"Yeah. I can't wait to see him again."

"Is he a psycho?"

"No."

"Oh, okay. Want to go to the party now?" Sonic said impatiently.

"Sure," Daschniiya said. And they ran off to the party.

Tails and Cream's Ending

Tails walked down the hall to the ball room, carrying streamers in his left hand. He was smiling. Finally, the adventure from heck is over. He turned into the ball room and saw Cream on a ladder. She was putting up the banner that said _Well Done Everyone!_ Tails blushed as he stared at her. She had changed so much in the past few weeks. She went from a very dependent and ailing girl into a warm, mostly independent, confident, and still as sweet and innocent maiden. And Tails has changed too.

The past six weeks were perhaps the toughest of his life. Back in his workshop, he couldn't think of anything else beyond Cosmo. What could he say? She was his everything; his life, his _raison d'être_, they very foundation of what his happiness, livelihood and freedom. It was no surprise that when Cosmo died, Tails would go die with her; not necessarily physically, but spiritually. Nobody could console him; not his friends, for they almost always came forth with the same reason: _She is in a happier place now; God wanted her to be happy. _How could that be? He wouldn't believe it. If it was all part of some divine plan, he would have no part in it. Heck, he would never even wish to _understand _it_._ All he wanted to do was curl up in a corner and wait for his time.

But someone interfered. And now he was grateful.

He loved someone else now.

He still dreaded the thought, but at least he was used to it. He could be happy again. And he could make someone else happy as well.

He saw Cream was having trouble putting up the last end of the banner. He walked over to the ladder.

"Need some help?" Tails called out.

Cream looked down and smiled as she saw Tails. "Sure," she said. Tails flew up to Cream's level and helped her adjust the banner. It latched onto the final hook. The both smiled, Cream descended the ladder. She started to walk toward the door.

"Uh, Cream?" Tails said.

"What?" She asked.

"Do you remember how we told each other we would figure out what the…you know…meant after the adventure was over?"

"Yeah?"

"You know, the adventure is over. So I-"

"-was thinking of talking about it?"

"Yes." Tails sat down on a chair. Cream sat next to him.

"You see, back when the whole Metarex thing was happening, I fell in love with Cosmo."

"Yes."

"If she survived, I was planning to help her get her life started on Mobius. And then…maybe…we could have had something. But fate had other plans. When she died, I was utterly devastated. But then you came, and tried to help me get life started again. And…"

"And?"

"And I started to become attached to you."

"I am attached to you too, Tails."

"Right. And that's what I want to talk to you about." Tails looked Cream in the eye. "I want you to know that…that Cosmo will always have a place in my heart."

"Oh," Cream said sadly. She hopped out of the chair and started to leave for the door. Tails grabbed her hand. Cream turned around and looked at Tails with sadness in her eyes.

"Leave me be Tails," she said.

"Wait. You haven't heard all of what I was going to say!"

"No. I think I've heard enough."

"No you haven't! I was going to also say, 'but it's you I love!'"

Cream still started for the door. Tails grabbed her again, but he turned her around, and kissed her. Cream raised her hand up to slap Tails. But Tails stayed locked in the kiss. Cream started to close her eyes, and then she did, and gave in to the embrace. Tails followed suit. Afterwards, they both pulled out of the embrace and looked at each other.

"I love you," they both said.

Cream then slapped Tails. "Don't EVER scare me like that again!"

Tails nodded his head. They both held hands, then went together to grab more streamers. Vector popped out from behind the chair. He chuckled. _Vanilla's going to like this,_ he thought.

Knuckles and Rouge's Ending

Knuckles couldn't believe what he had to do. He had to bake the cake. That was so stupid! They should have gotten someone else to do the job. He hated cooking. He opened the oven. He smiled. Finally, a cake that wasn't burned! He set it out on the counter. He turned away and opened the closet. He pulled out a bottle of icing. He went to the counter. He gasped as he saw the counter. There wasn't any cake.

"Yoo-hoo!" A voice exclaimed, "Over here!"

Knuckles turned his head to the left. In the doorway were Rouge and the cake. Rouge stuck out her tongue toward him and laughed. She picked up the cake and flew off down the hallway.

"GET BACK HERE!" Knuckles yelled. He started after her. He ran down the hallway and turned right at a curve. He slid down the hallway and stopped at the door leading to an outside alleyway. He stretched his arms and pushed upward. He jumped to his feet and ran down the alleyway. He saw Rouge leaning her back against the wall with the cake right next to her. Knuckles ran to her and stopped a few feet from her.

"Give me back the cake!" He said.

Rouge sighed, her arms folded across her chest and she stared at the floor. "You aren't much fun, are you?" She said.

"This isn't about whether I can have fun or not. It's about that cake. Now gimme! You can have it when everyone else has had a taste."

"Gimme gimme never gets. Besides, I stole it to talk to you."

"And you needed to steal it to talk to me?"

"That's the only time you pay attention to me."

"Okay, fine. Now what is so important that you have to steal a cake to talk to me about?"

Rouge looked up and stared into Knuckles' eyes. "It's about our date. You still owe me. Remember? Back before you climbed that hunk of junk in the district?"

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm just saying you still owe me. You have to pay up before we go to Mobius."

Knuckles stared at her with an odd look. He raised his eyebrow and breathed in a little harshly. He sighed. "Do you promise that you won't steal the Master emerald?"

"Just during the date." Rouge responded.

"Okay."

"Great. I found a restaurant we can go to after the party. We can go there together."

"Alright. But first, hand over the cake."

Rouge grunted. "Here's your cake back." She lifted it up by its platter and threw it towards Knuckles. Knuckles jumped back and reached out toward the cake. He grasped the platter in both hands and fell to the floor. The cake remained unscathed.

Decoe, Bocoe, Bokkun, Shadow and Dr. Eggman's Ending

Decoe, Bocoe and Shadow laughed in the dark room. Dr. Eggman and Bokkun quivered and shuddered. Dr. Eggman was tied to a chair and Bokkun was tied to a pole. They could not move, nor could they talk. Silver duck tape covered their mouths. Beads of sweat dropped from their brows and they looked at Decoe, Bocoe and Shadow with wild and scared eyes. Decoe, Bocoe and shadow looked at them with pity.

"Sorry," said Decoe, "but we must be leaving now. We have a party to attend to."

"And we aren't giving you any cake." Bocoe added.

"It's what you get for being traitors," said Shadow, "and for lying to me about Sonic and his friends."

The three left, and shut the door behind them.

Sonic's Ending

The door to the banquet hall swung open, and Sonic saw the party that was happening. Everyone was dancing as music played and lights glittered and danced with them too. Sonic walked in. He didn't mind that they started without them. He was worried they wouldn't be ready to start it when he got there. He saw Amy sitting in the corner. _Nobody leaves Amy in the corner, _he thought. He walked over to her and swept her off her feet.

"Sonic!" She said.

"Listen," said Sonic, "I wouldn't ordinarily do this, but this adventure has been anything but. Let's dance."

Sonic put her hands at her waist, and Amy wrapped her arms around his neck. They began to slow dance.

"So," Amy said, "does this mean we're…?"

"Possibly," said Sonic.

"I hope so. Because, for some reason, defeating villains with you is romantic."

"You find everything with me romantic. Just like I find everything with you romantic."

"Yep," said Amy. And the party moved on.

And the world moved on.

_**THE END**_

_**FOR NOW…**_


End file.
